Frank  had  met  Miss  Richards  on  a  previous  occasion,  and  now  introduced  Dick, 
who  was  struck  with  her  style  of  beauty.    See  page  21. 


Richard  Vaughn 


BY 


BENJ.    F.     COBB 

Author  of  "Tom  Clingstone's  letters,"  "Business  Methods,"  "Two 

Boys  and  a  Goat"  ''•Our  American  Indian  Babies," 

"Funshine,"  etc. 


flllustratefc 


Chicago  &  New  York 
THE  HENNEBERRY  COMPANY 

Publishers 


COPYRIGHT.  IQOI, 
BY  BENJ.  F.  COBB 


STACK 
ANNEX 

PS 


RICHARD   VAUGHN 

CHAPTER   1 

"So  you  are  to  be  my  roommate,  are  you?"  said 
Dick  Vaughn,  as  he  grasped  the  young  man's  hand 
who  had  just  been  introduced  by  his  landlady.  "I 
have  had  the  room  all  to  myself  for  a  month,  and  I 
must  say  I  have  enjoyed  it.  Good-bye,  mamma," 
he  added,  making  a  grimace  at  the  landlady,  who 
was  already  out  of  hearing.  Then  turning  again  to 
the  young  man,  he  continued: 

"The  old  lady  is  a  peach  and  knows  a  whole  lot 
of  things  that  stand  her  in  good  hand  at  the  present 
time.  But  what  did  she  say  your  name  was?" 

"My  name,"  said  the  other,  "is  Frank  P.  Bard- 
well,  and  if  it  gives  you  so  much  pleasure  to  have 
your  room  alone,  perhaps  I  had  best  look  further." 

"Don't  get  gay,  Mr.  Frank  P.  Bard  well.  I  have 
a  habit  of  saying  exactly  what  I  think;  of  calling 
things  by  their  right  names,  and  of  making  the  best 
of  everything.  The  facts  are,  both  of  us  are  as 
poor  as  Job's  proverbial  turkey,  or  we  would  not  be 
boarding  at  Mrs.  Sargent's,  each  sharing  a  room 
with  a  stranger  ;  but  as  long  as  we  have  to  do  it, 
let's  make  the  best  of  it.  Who  are  you,  anyhow?" 

"I,"  said  Frank,  "am  a  farmer's  son.  Have  just 
arrived  in  the  city,  and  came  to  take  a  situation 

5 


6  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

with  the  commission  house  of  H.  U.  Lemon  &  Co. 
Do  you  known  them?" 

"I  think  I  have  heard  of  old  man  Lemon.  I  don't 
just  remember  what  I  have  heard,  but  it  was  either 
that  he  was  very  religious  or  a  great  rascal;  I  am 
not  sure  which;  perhaps  it  was  both." 

"I  hope  not,  I  am  sure,  though  he  is  inclined  to 
be  religious,  for  one  of  the  first  things  he  asked  me 
was  if  I  loved  the  Lord." 

"I  will  bet  he  is  an  old  hypocrite." 

"Don't  say  that,  my  friend,  for  it  is  much  nicer 
to  think  the  best  of  people  instead  of  the  worst. 
Besides,  I  am  to  work  for  him,  and  I  don't  want  any 
one  to  try  and  prejudice  me  against  him." 

"That's  all  right,  Frank;  I  see  you  mean  to  be 
loyal,  and  I  am  sure  that  is  best,  but  you  have  asked 
me  nothing  about  myself." 

"The  fact  is  you  have  not  given  me  much  chance, 
but  I  am  all  ears." 

"Thanks  awfully;  I  had  noticed  your  ears.  Well, 
I  am  a  clerk  in  the  Metro  bank,  and  although  I 
draw  quite  a  small  salary,  I  try  hard  to  make 
myself  think  that  I  am  of  some  importance.  But 
there  is  the  supper  bell;  let's  go  down."  The  two 
young  men  went  down  to  supper,  and  Frank  was 
given  a  seat  at  the  same  table  and  opposite  his  room 
mate. 

Mrs.  Sargent's  was  a  large  boarding-house,  one  of 
the  largest  in  Boston,  and  Mrs.  Sargent  was  a  char 
acter.  She  was  born  and  raised  up  in  New 
Hampshire,  and  had  early  learned  to  be  a  good 
housekeeper.  Getting  tired  of  the  country  and 
hearing  of  the  good  wages  paid  to  domestics  in  the 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  7 

city,  she  decided  to  try  city  life  for  a  time,  or  until 
she  could  save  money  enough  to  clothe  herself  to 
her  liking.  The  attractions  of  the  city,  however, 
are  always  too  much  for  the  resolutions  of  the  coun 
try-bred,  and  Miss  Martha  Green  worked  on  with 
no  thought  of  returning  to  her  native  hills.  At  the 
boarding-house  where  she  worked — a  sort  of  semi- 
respectable  place — she  met  George  Sargent,  a  hack- 
man.  Martha  was  strong,  healthy  and  pretty. 
George  was  a  farmer's  son  who  had  come  to  Boston 
to  make  his  fortune.  He  was  good  looking  and  a 
good  talker,  and  it  did  not  take  him  long  to  get  the 
consent  of  Miss  Martha  Green  to  become  Mrs. 
George  Sargent.  Three  children  were  born  of  this 
union, — Olive,  Martha  and  Belle,  who  at  the  time 
of  the  opening  of  our  story  were,  respectively, 
twenty,  eighteen  and  twelve  years  of  age.  The 
temptations  of  city  life  had  been  too  much  for 
George  Sargent,  and  from  an  occasional  drinker  he 
had  become  a  worthless  sot.  When  the  youngest 
child  was  about  five  years  of  age,  Mrs.  Sargent  had 
decided  that  her  husband  was  neither  useful  nor 
ornamental,  and  had  literally  kicked  him  out  of 
the  house.  Strange  to  say,  the  man  accepted 
the  situation  and  never  bothered  his  family  after 
wards. 

All  of  this  Dick  told  his  roommate  when  they 
returned  from  the  dining-room  after  Frank's  first 
supper  in  the  house. 

"And  are  those  the  daughters  who  waited  on  the 
table?"  said  Frank. 

"Hold  on  there,  my  hearty;  don't  ever  make  a 
break  like  that  before  the  landlady,  or  you  will 


8  '  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

get  your  walking  papers.  I  want  you  to  under 
stand  that  the  daughters  of  this  house  are  ladies, 
and  the  chances  are  that  unless  you  show  unusual 
signs  of  prosperity  you  will  never  be  tendered  an 
introduction.  Olive  is  red-headed  and  freckled,  but 
she  is  the  daughter  of  her  mother  and  must  be  pro 
tected  from  the  common  herd  that  is  obliged  to 
live  in  boarding  houses.  Martha,  the  second 
daughter,  has  all  the  beauty  of  the  family,  and  is 
the  mother's  pride.  She  even  calls  her  'my  hand 
some  daughter,'  and,  not  thinking  of  the  names 
quickly  enough  the  other  day,  when  a  young  man 
asked  after  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Sargent  said  inquir 
ingly:  'Do  you  mean  my  handsome  daughter  or  my 
homely  daughter?'  Don't  doubt  me,  Frank,  for 
that  is  the  truth." 

Frank  Bardvvell  and  Dick  Vaughn  were  as  oppo 
site  as  two  young  men  could  be  in  looks  and  dispo 
sition.  Dick  was  dark,  with  black  hair  and  eyes. 
He  had  a  habit  of  saying  just  what  he  thought,  or, 
as  he  sometimes  called  it,  thinking  out  loud.  Frank 
Bard  well  was  of  the  same  age  as  Dick,  both  being 
a  little  past  twenty-one,  but  he  was  light  complex- 
ioned,  with  brown  hair  and  blue  eyes.  He  was 
cautious  in  his  speech  and  thoughtful.  He  had 
been  taught  early  to  have  charity  for  all,  and  was 
never  known  to  say  a  word  against  any  one. 

As  the  weeks  came  and  went  our  two  friends 
became  better  acquainted,  and  with  better  acquaint 
ance,  firmer  friends. 

Hiram  U.  Lemon  was  the  senior  partner  of  the 
firm  of  H.  U.  Lemon  &  Co.,  the  firm  for  which 
Frank  Bardwell  worked.  Mr.  Lemon  was  known 


RICHARD  VAUGHN  9 

among  the  church  people  as  a  very  devout  Chris 
tian.  He  was  a  steward  in  the  Methodist  church,  and 
gave  liberally  to  that  institution.  He  made  it  a  rule 
never  to  talk  with  a  stranger  more  than  ten  minutes 
before  asking  him  if  he  belonged  to  the  army  of  the 
Lord,  and  he  usually  impressed  strangers  with  the 
idea  that  he  was  more  of  a  Christian  than  he  was  a 
business  man.  At  this  time  Mr.  Lemon  had  been 
doing  business  in  Boston  for  about  twenty  years; 
he  had  commenced  by  peddling  eggs  in  a  basket, 
and  was  now  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  largest 
produce  commission  houses  in  the  city;  had  in  the 
meantime  given  a  small  fortune  to  the  church, 
and  those  who  knew  him  best  used  to  say  that 
he  was  a  pretty  good  sort  of  a  business  man  for  a 
Christian. 

Frank  Bardwell  became  quite  a  favorite  with 
both  of  the  partners  of  H.  U.  Lemon  &  Co.,  and 
was  an  especial  favorite  of  Mr.  Lemon's.  Frank 
was  not  afraid  of  work  and  knew  how  to  do  it.  He 
had  been  brought  up  on  a  farm,  and  had  received  a 
good  common  school  education.  He  was  just  as 
willing  to  shovel  potatoes  as  he  was  to  work  on  the 
books,  and  was  capable  of  doing  either;  he  was 
always  ready  to  do  what  he  was  told,  and  one  tell 
ing  was  enough.  Perhaps  the  one  thing  that 
pleased  Mr.  Lemon  more  than  all  else  was  that 
Frank  was  willing  to  work  for  small  wages.  Every 
Monday  morning  Mr.  Lemon  would  ask  Frank 
where  he  went  to  church  the  day  before,  who 
preached,  what  the  text  was,  and  in  what  manner 
the  minister  handled  the  text;  and  Frank  was 
always  ready  with  his  answers.  He  had  been 


io  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

accustomed  to  going  to  church  regularly  while  at 
home.  By  accident  he  attended  church  the  Sunday 
before  he  commenced  work  for  Mr.  Lemon,  and, 
after  rinding  out  what  kind  of  a  man  he  was  work 
ing  for,  he  kept  it  up.  Dick  went  with  him,  but 
unwillingly  at  first,  until  they  compromised  on  a  half 
a  day  at  church  and  the  rest  of  the  day  for  recrea 
tion. 

During  week  days  Dick,  having  short  hours  in  the 
bank,  often  used  to  call  for  Frank  when  he  knew  it 
was  about  time  for  him  to  quit  work,  and  in  this 
way  he  got  somewhat  acquainted  with  Mr.  Lemon. 
In  Dick's  opinion  Mr.  Lemon  did  not  improve  on 
acquaintance,  and  as  the  two  young  men  would  talk 
him  over  afterwards,  Dick  would  claim  that  Mr. 
Lemon  was  a  rank  hypocrite,  while  Frank  would 
protest  mildly  and  end  up  by  saying  that  no  one  had 
a  right  to  pass  such  an  opinion  without  positive 
proof. 

One  Saturday  Mr.  Lemon  gave  Frank  a  very 
pressing  invitation  to  attend  his  church  the  next 
day,  which  Frank  promised  to  do,  and  feeling  that 
he  would  not  have  been  invited  unless  there  was  to 
be  something  special,  he  induced  Dick  to  accom 
pany  him.  They  were  given  seats  near  the  front  in 
the  body  of  the  church.  The  minister  preached  a 
short  and  powerful  sermon  on  the  text,  "It  is  more 
blessed  to  give  than  to  receive. "  After  the  sermon 
was  over  the  minister  announced  that  brother 
Lemon  had  a  little  story  to  tell,  which  he  was  sure 
would  interest  every  one  present.  All  eyes  were  at 
once  fixed  on  Mr.  Lemon,  who  had  been  a  con 
spicuous  figure  on  the  front  seat.  He  slowly  arose, 


II 

and  stepping  upon  the  platform  in  front  of  the  pul 
pit,  he  faced  the  audience  and  straightened  himself 
up  to  his  full  height.  He  was  a  peculiar  looking 
character;  his  clothes  were  not  of  the  latest  pat 
tern — he  said  he  could  not  afford  it;  he  was  all  of 
six  feet  four  inches  tall,  long  armed  and  angular, 
with  a  head  about  three  sizes  too  small  for  his 
body.  As  he  came  to  a  halt  he  tried  to  look 
impressive,  and  commenced  by  speaking  very  low 
and  saying: 

"My  dear  brothers  and  sisters  in  Christ,  you  have 
heard  this  beautiful  sermon  that  Dr.  Spencer  has 
preached  to  us,  and  now  he  says  that  I  am  to  tell 
you  a  story.  You  all  know  me  and  you  know  my 
story  will  be  short,  for  you  know  that  I  believe  in 
works.  My  story  is  this :  Three  years  ago  we  fin 
ished  this  church  and  it  was  dedicated  to  God,  but 
when  we  gave  God  this  church  there  was  a  mort 
gage  on  it  of  six  thousand  dollars.  Now,  let  us  take 
the  mortgage  off  and  let  the  church  stand  out  as  a 
free  gift  from  His  people.  I  will  not  be  the  first, 
but  I  will  be  the  second  to  give.  Brother  Holman, 
what  will  you  give  towards  lifting  this  debt?"  and 
Mr.  Lemon  looked  straight  into  the  face  of  brother 
Holman,  who  was  also  one  of  the  stewards  of  the 
church,  and  was  engaged  in  the  same  business  as 
brother  Lemon. 

Brother  Holman  turned  .red  in  the  face  and 
glanced  at  his  wife,  but  he  received  no  consolation 
from  her.  The  little  undersized  mother  in  Israel 
was  looking  straight  ahead  of  her.  She  said  after 
wards  that  she  was  determined  Benjamin  should  be 
left  free  in  the  matter  of  giving  to  the  Lord.  At 


12  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

last  brother  Holman  said:  "One  hundred  dol 
lars." 

"Make  it  two,  brother  Holman,"  said  Mr. 
Lemon,  "and  I  will  give  the  same." 

Brother  Holman  half  nodded,  and  Mr.  Lemon 
cried:  "Bless  God,  brother  Holman  starts  the  giving 
with  two  hundred  dollars,  and  brother  Hiram  U. 
Lemon  gives  the  same.  Now,  brother  William," 
said  he,  "you  keep  the  books,  and  then  we  will  know 
where  we  stand. ' ' 

Brother  William  Eastman  came  upon  the  little 
platform  in  front  of  the  pulpit  and  took  a  seat  at 
the  table.  He  had  already  provided  himself  with 
paper  and  pencil,  for  he  had  been  forewarned  by 
this  general  in  finance,  brother  Hiram  U.  Lemon, 
that  he  would  be  called  upon  to  act. 

"And  now,  brother  Hoover,"  said  brother 
Lemon,  "how  much  are  you  willing  to  give  for  the 
Lord  this  morning?"  Brother  Hoover  was  also  a 
steward  in  the  church.  He  was  a  rich  grocer,  and 
as  brother  Lemon  swung  his  long  arms  about  and 
descanted  on  the  duty  of  every  professed  Christian 
to  give  to  the  Lord,  brother  Hoover,  half  rising  to 
his  feet  and  looking  out  under  his  shaggy  eyebrows, 
said,  in  a  low  but  forced  tone:  "I  will  give  five 
hundred  dollars." 

"Amen,"  said  brother  Lemon.  "Amen,  praise 
the  Lord!  And  brother  Hiram  Lemon  will  also 
give  five  hundred  dollars.  I  tell  you,  brothers,  you 
can  all  give  if  you  feel  like  it,  and  you  will  feel  like 
it  if  the  good  Lord  gets  a  hold  on  you." 

The  people  were  getting  warmed  up  to  the  work. 
Old  Father  Lockwood  started  up  his  favorite  song, 


RICHARD  VAUGHN  13 

which,  with  his  English  accent,  became,  "Ho, 
'appy  day  that  fixed  my  choice,"  etc.,  and  all  were 
glad  to  join  in  the  song,  for  it  helped  to  relieve  the 
tension  that  was  being  felt.  After  the  song 
brother  Lemon  commenced  again  to  call  on  the 
different  brothers  and  sisters  to  give  for  Jesus's 
sake,  and  with  each  gift  he  repeated  the  same 
words,  "And  brother  Lemon  gives  the  same 
amount."  Men  and  women  gave  who  were  well 
able  to  give,  but  before  all  the  money  was  raised 
some  of  the  poorer  ones  gave  in  sums  of  ten  and 
twenty  dollars,  which  amounted  to  more  to  them 
than  did  the  three  thousand  given  by  brother 
Lemon,  as  far  as  being  able  to  spare  it  was  con 
cerned.  Brother  Lemon  stated  the  case  so  plainly, 
and  called  out  the  names  in  a  tone  that  seemed  to 
say,  "You  can  give  and  you  should  give." 

"Sister  Mary  White,"  said  Mr.  Lemon,  calling 
the  name  of  a  poor  woman  who  earned  her  living  by 
going  out  sewing  by  the  day,  "how  much  are  you 
going  to  give  to  help  the  cause  of  Christ?  Now, 
you  know  that  the  Lord  has  been  good  to  you  and 
you  should  not  be  mean  to  him.  You  will  not  be 
happy  if  you  go  away  from  here  without  giving. 
Just  think  how  much  you  can  afford  to  give  and 
how  much  you  can  give  by  denying  yourself  a  little, 
and  then  multiply  it  by  four  and  give,  and  the  Lord 
will  bless  you  for  it.  He  will  not  only  bless  you, 
but  if  you  pray  to  him  he  will  show  you  how  you 
can  pay  your  debt  to  the  church."  And  sister 
White,  knowing  that  she  had  but  five  dollars  in  the 
world,  pledged  herself  to  give  twenty  dollars 
towards  raising  the  debt  of  the  church. 


i4  RICHARD  VAUGHN 

At  last  the  debt  was  virtually  lifted,  the  whole  six 
thousand  dollars  having  been  subscribed.  Hardly 
one  present  whose  name  was  known  to  Mr.  Lemon 
escaped.  Even  our  friend  Frank  had  subscribed 
ten  dollars  after  his  name  was  called  out  by  his 
employer,  but  he  was  not  sure  that  he  had  done  the 
right  thing  after  hearing  Mr.  Lemon  cry  out  at  the 
top  of  his  voice:  "God  bless  you,  Frank;  but  you 
should  give  more,  for  the  more  we  give  to  the  Lord, 
the  more  the  Lord  will  give  us." 

The  benediction  was  pronounced,  and  the  people 
slowly  left  the  church.  Those  who  gave  of  their 
abundance  had  a  look  of  satisfaction,  but  many  of 
those  who  had  promised  small  sums  had  care 
stamped  upon  their  faces. 

Frank  and  Dick  soon  found  themselves  away  from 
the  others,  but  they  walked  on  for  half  a  mile  before 
a  word  was  spoken.  At  last  Frank  said: 

"What  did  you  think  of  it,  Dick?" 

"I  think  you  are  out  ten  dollars  and  that  your 
employer  is  a  hypocritical  old  jay." 

"You  are  wrong,  Dick.  No  man  would  give  three 
thousand  dollars  as  cheerfully  as  he  did  and  not  be 
sincere."  But  although  another  mile  was  yet  to  be 
traversed,  neither  of  the  young  men  spoke  again 
tmtil  they  were  back  at  the  boarding-house  of  Mrs. 
Sargent. 


CHAPTER   II 

One  pleasant  afternoon  Dick  Vaughn  called  at  the 
commission  house  of  H .  U.  Lemon  &  Co.  for  his 
roommate.  He  usually  timed  his  call  so  as  not  to 
have  much  time  to  wait,  as  the  store  of  the  great 
firm  of  Hiram  U.  Lemon  &  Co.  was  always  crowded 
with  goods,  and  the  office  was  a  little  cubby-hole 
that  looked  all  out  of  proportion  to  the  size  of  one  of 
the  firm's  big  ledgers.  This  time,  however,  he  had 
come  too  early,  as  Frank  had  some  extra  work  that 
must  be  done;  in  fact,  one  of  the  other  clerks  was 
away  and  Frank  had  his  work  to  attend  to  as  well  as 
his  own.  He  was  looking  over  some  orders  that  had 
come  in  by  the  last  mail,  and  as  he  was  not  familiar 
with  the  standing  of  all  of  the  customers,  he  occa 
sionally  asked  Mr.  Lemon  about  them.  Mr.  Lemon 
was  looking  over  some  new  cheeses  that  had  just 
arrived,  and,  seemingly  being  in  a  talkative  mood, 
started  a  conversation  with  Dick  by  saying: 

"When  are  you  two  young  men  going  to  come 
into  the  fold  and  become  workers  in  the  cause  of 
Christ?" 

"I  cannot  speak  for  Frank,  but  as  for  myself  I  do 
not  expect  to  change  my  ideas  in  regard  to  the 
church,  as  I  think  they  are  pretty  well  fixed  now." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  fixed,  Richard?" 

"I  mean  that  if  I  live  as  close  to  the  golden  rule 
as  I  can  I  will  even  up  pretty  well  with  the  pro 
fessed  Christians." 

15 


16  RICHARD  VAUGHN 

"Do  you  pray  to  God  to  keep  you  up  to  that 
rule?" 

"If  you  count  prayer  as  the  sincere  desire  of  the 
heart  you  can  put  me  down  as  a  praying  man,  but 
I  do  not  waste  much  time  asking  the  Lord  for  what 
I  can  help  myself  to." 

"I  am  afraid,  Richard,  that  you  have  not  looked 
at  this  matter  as  seriously  as  you  should." 

Just  at  this  moment  Frank  called  out: 

"Fisk  &  Co.,  of  Swampscott,  have  ordered  twenty 
firkins  of  that  best  butter." 

"All  right,  Frank,  better  cut  the  order  down  to 
ten  and  write  them  that  they  can  most  likely  buy 
just  as  cheaply  or  cheaper  when  this  lot  is  gone." 

Then  turning  to  Dick,  he  said: 

"I  feel  very  much  interested  in  you  two  young 
men,  and  I  want  to  see  you  working  fur  Christ,  and 
neither  of  you  can  afford  to  put  off  the  day  when 
you  shall  begin  work,  for  we  know  not  what  a  day 
or  an  hour  may  bring  forth." 

A  messenger  boy  came  in  and  handed  Frank  a 
telegram,  which  he  opened  and  read  out  loud: 
"Send  us  ten  firkins  of  your  best  butter  at  once. 
Jones  Price  &  Company." 

"Shall  we  try  and  send  this  out  to-night,  Mr. 
Lemon?" 

"Yes,  Frank,  and  you  had  better  send  them 
twenty  firkins  and  write  them  that  we  send  it 
because  butter  is  liable  to  advance  soon." 

Dick  looked  his  surprise,  for  he  was  thinking  of 
Mr.  Lemon's  paradoxical  statements.  Mr.  Lemon 
saw  it  and  said: 

"Jones,  Price  &  Company  are  gilt-edge  people, 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  17 

and  we  like  to  give  them  the  benefit  of  the 
market." 

"But  how  about  Fisk  &  Co.?"  said  Dick. 

"Oh,"  said  brother  Lemon,  and  his  face  took  on 
a  perplexed  look,  "they  are  a  little  weak,  you  know, 
and  we  must  protect  ourselves.  It's  business,  you 
see." 

A  gentleman  came  in  and  took  Mr.  Lemon  away 
with  him,  and  soon  Frank  finished  his  work  and  the 
two  young  men  started  home  together.  Frank  was 
talkative  and  spoke  of  everything  else  but  business, 
but  Dick  was  silent,  only  answering  as  he  was 
obliged  to.  At  last  Frank  said: 

"What  ails  you,  Dick?  You  are  as  glum  as  an 
oyster." 

"I  was  only  thinking  what  a  delightful  hypocrite 
old  man  Lemon  is." 

"Don't  let  that  worry  you,  Dick.  There  are  lots 
of  things  that  happen  at  the  store  that  I  can't 
fathom,  but  I  always  put  it  down  that  there  are 
good  reasons  for  these  paradoxical  doings,  and  that 
if  I  do  not  understand  them  they  must  be  all  right 
somehow." 

"Perhaps  you  are  right,  Frank,  in  your  ideas;  at 
all  events  you  are  right  in  turning  a  blind  eye 
towards  the  things  that  look  so  much  like  fraud, 
but  I  couldn't  do  it,  and  I  don't  believe  I  could  work 
for  the  firm  of  Hiram  U.  Lemon  &  Co.  a  week 
without  telling  the  head  of  the  firm  just  what  I 
thought  of  him." 

As  the  two  young  men  walked  into  the  spacious 
dining-room  that  evening,  Mrs.  Sargent  was  having 
one  of  her  heart  to  heart  talks  with  her  boarders. 


i8  RICHARD  VAUGHN 

Of  course  she  was  doing  all  of  the  talking;  she 
always  did  at  these  times.  There  must  have  been 
all  of  fifty  people  in  the  large  dining-room,  and 
Mrs.  Sargent  was  discoursing  on  an  oft-repeated 
subject  somewhat  as  follows : 

"You  would  hardly  believe  it,  but  the  raw 
material  for  this  supper  cost  me  all  of  fifty  dollars. 
Everything  is  awfully  high,  and  I  buy  the  very  best. 
There  are  not  many  boarding-houses  where  they 
buy  as  good  meats  as  I  do  or  where  the  raw  mate 
rial  costs  so  much.  In  fact,  there  aren't  many 
places  that  are  fitted  up  for  the  comfort  of  boarders 
as  we  are  here.  Where  will  you  find  a  house  as 
large  as  this,  with  marble  bowls  in  every  room?" 

Mrs.  Sargent  had  talked  every  one  into  silence,  as 
she  always  did,  and  although  some  of  the  boarders 
had  heard  of  the  cost  of  the  raw  material  and  all 
about  the  bowls  until  both  had  become  bywords,  no 
one  ever  thought  of  either  questioning  Mrs.  Sar 
gent's  price  of  the  raw  material  or  mentioning  the 
fact  that  there  were  other  boarding  houses  which 
were  supplied  with  marble  wash  bowls.  Every  one 
seemed  to  expect  this  kind  of  a  lecture  occasionally, 
and  it  was  accepted  with  as  good  grace  as  possible. 
Dick,  who  had  been  in  the  house  for  more  than  a 
year,  had  heard  Mrs.  Sargent's  story  so  often  that 
he  could  repeat  the  whole  thing,  and  had  tried  it  two 
or  three  times,  much  to  the  amusement  of  the 
boarders.  As  he  took  his  seat  at  the  table  this 
evening  he  pretended  to  be  bored  by  the  old  story, 
and  when  for  the  third  time  Mrs.  Sargent  spoke  of 
those  marble  bowls,  he  sprang  to  his  feet,  pushed 
his  chair  back  and  rushed  from  the  room. 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  19 

"Why,"  said  Mrs.  Sargent,  "he  has  gone  down 
cellar!  What  can  it  all  mean?" 

Every  one  stopped  eating,  and  Mrs.  Sargent  was 
exclaiming  at  Dick's  strange  actions  when  he  ap 
peared  with  an  ax  over  his  shoulder. 

"For  goodness'  sake,  Mr.  Vaughn,  what  are  you 
going  to  do?" 

Dick  had  just  started  upstairs  towards  the  sleep 
ing  rooms,  but  he  halted  as  Mrs.  Sargent  spoke,  and 
said: 

"I  have  heard  all  I  can  stand  about  those  con 
founded  marble  bowls,  and  I  am  going  to  smash 
every  d d  one  of  them." 

With  this  he  started  up  the  stairs  and  the  landlady 
after  him.  About  half  way  up  the  stairs  she  over 
took  him,  and  catching  hold  of  his  coat  tails,  she 
cried : 

"Oh,  don't,  Mr.  Dick!  Oh,  don't!  I  won't  say 
another  word  about  those  bowls  if  you  will  only  let 
them  alone,"  and  the  tears  were  streaming  down 
poor  Mrs.  Sargent's  cheeks  as  she  begged  and  plead 
for  those  bowls. 

Frank,  with  half  a  dozen  of  the  other  gentleman 
boarders,  made  a  rush  for  the  stairs,  and  although 
they  had  all  they  could  do  to  keep  from  laughing, 
they  pretended  to  think  Dick  was  in  earnest  and 
commenced  to  plead  with  him  not  to  harm  the 
bowls,  and  Dick,  after  the  boarders  had  assured 
him  that  Mrs.  Sargent  would  make  no  further  men 
tion  of  the  bowls,  gave  up  the  ax  to  one  of  the  serv 
ants  and  returned  to  the  table.  Poor  Mrs.  Sargent 
did  not  show  herself  again  until  the  next  day,  and 
it  was  more  than  a  week  before  the  boarders  heard 


20  RICHARD  VAUGHN 

again  about  the  cost  of  the  raw  material,  and  never 
again  in  Dick's  presence  did  she  mention  those 
marble  bowls. 

It  was  all  of  ten  days  after  this  before  Dick  again 
ventured  into  the  commission  house  where  Frank 
worked.  Frank  often  asked  him  why,  but  he  could 
only  say  that  he  knew  of  no  good  reason  other  than 
that  he  might  see  more  evidence  of  Mr.  Lemon's 
hypocrisy.  Frank  laughingly  told  him  that  more 
likely  the  reason  was  that  he  was  afraid  Mr.  Lemon 
would  win  him  over  to  working  for  the  church. 
The  two  young  men  were  becoming  fast  friends. 
With  each  day  the  tie  grew  stronger,  and  although 
they  might  not  have  realized  it,  they  did  realize  that 
when  alone  the  thoughts  of  each  of  them  turned  to 
the  other. 

One  evening  Dick,  getting  impatient  because 
Frank  did  not  come  home,  walked  duwn  to  South 
Market  Street  to  find  him.  He  found  the  young 
man  still  poring  over  his  books.  As  Dick  came  in 
and  informed  him  what  time  it  was,  he  gave  up  the 
books,  but  said: 

"I  have  a  call  to  make  on  one  of  the  other  deal 
ers,  and  if  you  will  come  with  me  I  will  start  home 
with  you  in  a  few  moments." 

Dick  agreed,  and  the  two  young  men  called  at  the 
office  of  Charles  Richaids.  Mr.  Richards  did  busi 
ness  on  the  same  street,  but  dealt  more  in  fruit  than 
in  produce.  He  lived  near  the  church  attended  by 
Mr.  Lemon,  and,  in  fact,  attended  the  same  church 
himself.  He  was  a  man  well  thought  of,  and  had  a 
lovely  family,  consisting  of  a  wife  and  two  daugh 
ters.  Mabel  Richards,  the  older  daughter,  was  at 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  21 

this  time  about  nineteen  years  of  age,  and  her  sister 
Mildred  was  only  twelve. 

When  the  two  young  men  entered  Mr.  Richard's 
office  they  found  that  he  was  out,  and  they  also 
found  Miss 'Mabel  Richards  awaiting  her  father's 
return.  Frank  had  met  Miss  Richards  on  a  previous 
occasion,  and  now  introduced  Dick,  who  was  struck 
with  her  style  of  beauty.  She  was  a  little  above  the 
medium  height.  Her  hair  was  dark  brown  and 
abundant.  Her  eyes  were  hazel  in  color,  and  were 
large  and  expressive.  Her  complexion  was  fresh, 
and  her  teeth  were  perfect  enough  to  allow  her  to 
laugh  any  time  she  felt  so  inclined.  Her  taste  in 
dress  was  perfect.  She  was  a  good  listener  and  a 
deep  thinker,  but  could  talk  if  occasion  required  it. 
As  Dick  was  presented  to  her,  she  said: 

"I  have  often  seen  you,  Mr.  Vaughn,  when  you 
have  attended  our  church  with  Mr.  Bard  well,  but  I 
have  never  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  you  before. " 

"I  trust  it  is  a  pleasure,  Miss  Richards;  I  am  sure 
it  is  for  me.  But  how  could  it  have  been  possible 
for  me  to  have  attended  the  same  church  where  you 
were  and  not  have  seen  you?" 

"Do  you  consider  me  so  very  tall,  then?"  said 
Mabel,  laughing. 

Dick  said  afterwards  that  he  wanted  to  tell  her 
that  she  was  so  strikingly  beautiful  he  felt  ashamed 
of  himself  for  not  having  seen  her  the  first  time  they 
were  in  the  same  church  together,  but  he  only 
stammered  out : 

"But  your  church  isn't  so  very  large." 

Mr.  Richards  came  in  and  called  Frank  into  his 
private  office  to  talk  over  the  business  Frank  had 


22  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

come  to  see  him  about,  leaving  Dick  and  Miss 
Mabel  alone  in  the  main  office,  as  the  regular  office 
hours  were  over  and  the  clerks  had  gone  home. 
This  plan  seemed  to  suit  Dick  very  much,  and  as 
Miss  Mabel  was  quite  at  home  in  her  father's  office, 
conversation  soon  commenced  again.  Miss  Mabel 
started  it  by  asking  Dick  if  he  did  not  enjoy  Mr. 
Spencer's  sermons. 

"Parts  of  them  I  like  very  much,"  said  Dick. 

"Parts  of  them!"  said  Mabel,  in  astonishment. 
"Pray,  what  part  of  them  can  there  be  that  you  do 
not  like?" 

"Oh,  I  am  not  so  very  much  taken  with  the  old 
Bible  stories  that  he  explains  seemingly  to  his  own 
satisfaction,  though  I  doubt  if  any  one  else  under 
stands  them;  neither  do  I  think  much  of  his  ideas 
of  heaven." 

"Why,  Mr.  Vaughn,  how  can  you  talk  that  way? 
I  think  Mr.  Spencer's  word  pictures  of  the  Heavenly 
City  are  beautiful,  and  his  sermons  on  texts  from 
the  Old  Testament  are  a  great  help  to  me  in  pre 
paring  me  for  my  life  work." 

"And  what  is  to  be  your  life  work,  may  I  ask?" 

"I  had.  forgotten  that  this  was  the  first  time  we 
had  met  and  that  you  did  not  know  of  my  self- 
appointed  mission  in  life.  I  am  going  Soulh  to 
teach  the  negroes.  I  have  become  interested  in  the 
work  and  am  fitting  myself  to  work  among  them, 
both  as  teacher  and  missionary." 

"What  do  your  parents  say  to  this  wild  scheme  of 
yours?" 

"They  have  been  won  over  to  my  way  of  think 
ing,  but  not  to  any  wild  scheme.  It  is  a  simple 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  23 

matter.  The  negroes  are  there,  have  recently  been 
liberated  from  slavery,  are  untutored,  and  many  of 
them  know  nothing  about  God.  It  is  the  duty  of 
some  one  to  go  to  them,  to  educate  them  and  to  bring 
them  to  Christ.  Who  is  better  able  to  do  that  than 
I  am?  I  am  young  and  strong;  I  can  give  my  serv 
ices  to  the  Freedman's  Aid  Society,  for  I  do  not 
need  money,  and  I  can  turn  my  life  of  idleness  into 
one  of  work  for  humanity  and  for  Christ.  Now  do 
you  see  anything  very  wild  about  the  scheme?" 

"You  set  it  forth  very  nicely,  Miss  Richards,  and 
after  all  of  your  explanation  you  will  most  likely 
think  I  am  something  of  a  brute  when  I  say  that,  if 
I  had  a  sister  who  had  mapped  out  her  future  as 
you  have,  I  should  consider  it  on  the  same  level 
with  a  scheme  of  going  to  the  south  of  Africa  to 
assist  the  monkeys  in  picking  cocoanuts. " 

"Why,  Mr.  Vaughn!  1  am  surprised  that  you 
should  talk  this  way.  I  did  not  suppose  there  was 
any  one  but  who  realized  that  the  best  thing  for  the 
negroes  was  to  educate  and  Christianize  them,  and 
here  I  find  a  young  man  of  education  and  intelli 
gence  who  likens  my  life  work  to  helping  monkeys 
to  select  their  food.  Will  you  be  kind  enough  to 
tell  me  why  no  one  of  my  acquaintances  has  sug 
gested  this  before?" 

"I  think  I  can  do  that  very  thing.  You  were 
born  and  reared  in  this  great  wicked  city,  but  you 
have  always  been  shielded  from  all  of  its  wicked 
ness.  You  hardly  know  that  wickedness  exists  here, 
you  have  been  so  shut  out  from  it.  This  being  the 
case,  you  have  been  just  as  much  shut  in  with  your 
own  class  of  people.  I  trust  you  will  pardon  me  if 


24  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

I  say  that  Christians,  as  a  rule,  are  somewhat  nar 
row  in  certain  ways.  They  have  a  peculiar  faculty 
of  not  seeing  the  want,  privations  and  wickedness 
within  a  stone's  throw  of  the  church  in  which  they 
worship,  but  their  hearts  go  out  to  some  half  civi 
lized  race  on  the  other  side  of  the  globe,  or  to  the 
negroes  of  the  South,  whom  they  know  nothing 
about  except  by  hearsay,  and  whom  they  do  not 
understand  in  the  least." 

Dick  was  a  good  talker,  and  as  he  talked  to  Mabel 
his  face  fairly  beamed,  he  was  so  interested.  Mabel 
was  dumbfounded.  Never  in  her  life  had  she  ever 
heard  any  one  talk  in  this  way,  and  she  had  a  feel 
ing  that  she  had  done  something  wrong  in  listening 
to  him. 

Just  at  this  time  Frank  and  Mr.  Richards  came 
out  of  the  private  office  ready  to  go,  and  the  four 
left  the  office  together.  They  walked  together  as 
far  as  the  Cambridge  car  station,  where  Mr.  Rich 
ards  and  his  daughter  boarded  a  car  for  home, 
while  the  two  young  men  walked  to  Mrs.  Sargent's 
boarding-house  on  Chamber  street. 

After  supper  that  evening  the  two  young  men 
went  to  their  room,  and  Frank  told  all  about  the 
business  which  he  had  with  Mr.  Richards  It  was 
something  Mr.  Lemon  wanted  done,  and  Frank  was 
quite  proud  of  the  way  he  had  accomplished  it. 
After  he  had  told  the  whole  thing  to  Dick,  he  said  • 

"What  do  you  think,  Dick?  Did  I  do  the  thing 
up  right?" 

"I  guess  you  did,  Frank;  but  to  tell  you  the  plain 
unvarnished  truth,  I  have  not  heard  a  word  you 
said." 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  25 

Frank  got  up  from  his  chair  and  came  over  to 
Dick's  side  of  the  room,  and  taking  him  by  the  wrist, 
felt  of  his  pulse  and  with  mock  solemnity  said: 

"You  are  suffering  with  an  affection  of  the  heart, 
I  would  advise  you  to  give  up  coffee  and  tea  and 
keep  away  from  Cambridge.  This  attack  came  on 
very  suddenly,  and  although  the  immediate  cause 
was  taken  away  in  a  street-car,  it  seems  to  have  left 
a  wound  that  may  be  several  moons  in  healing,  even 
if  you  are  not  exposed  again." 

"I  guess  you  have  got  me  all  right,  Doctor  Frank, 
but  just  let  upon  your  diagnosing  and  tell  me  some 
thing  of  Miss  Mabel  Richards.  She  is  nearer  my 
ideas  of  perfection  than  any  girl  I  ever  saw,  and  just 
think,  she  is  going  down  South  to  teach  niggers. 
Say,  but  that  is  the  worst  I  ever  heard  of.  I  won 
der  when  she  intends  to  go  and  if  I  could  in  any 
way  stop  her." 

"You  have  got  it  bad,  Dick.  Is  this  the  first 
time?" 

"Yes,  Frank,  this  is  the  first  attack;  that  is  to 
say,  this  is  the  first  real  serious  attack.  There 
have  been  others  of  a  milder  form,  but  nothing  like 
this,  and  just  think,  it  came  when  I  was  least 
expecting  it,  and  in  such  a  place!  South  Market 
street!  It  doesn't  seem  possible." 

"And  why  not  in  South  Market  street  as  well  as 
anywhere  else?" 

"No  reason  that  I  know  of,  except  that  it  is  such 
an  unromantic  place,  with  its  butter,  turnips  and 
beef.  I  never  thought  of  being  exposed  to  Cupid's 
darts  in  a  place  like  that.  Perhaps  it  would  seem 
no  less  real  but  more  natural  to  be  smitten  at  some 


26  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

reception  where  one  was  looking  for  all  the  loveli 
ness  that  society  worships." 

"So  you  own  that  you  are  captivated?" 

"Of  course  I  do;  how  can  I  help  it?  Mabel  has 
her  life  work,  which  is  to  go  South  and  teach  the 
negroes,  and  I  have  mine,  which  is  to  induce  her  to 
stay  in  the  North  and  devote  her  time  to  one  white 
man." 

"I  am  sure  I  wish  you  success,  but  I  am  afraid 
you  have  a  big  job  on  your  hands.  In  the  first 
place,  Mabel  is  young  and  has  refused  two  very 
flattering  offers  that  I  know  of.  Her  people, 
although  professed  followers  of  the  meek  and  lowly 
Jesus,  are  not  neglectful  of  their  daughter's  welfare 
and  will  expect  her  to  do  well  in  the  financial  world 
when  she  does  marry,  and  more  than  this,  they  will 
expect  her  to  marry  a  professed  Christian.  Sup 
pose  you  take  a  look  at  yourself  in  the  glass  and  see 
how  near  you  come  to  filling  the  bill." 

Dick  got  up  from  his  chair  and  commenced  to 
pace  the  room.  He  was  trying  to  grasp  all  that 
Frank  had  said  to  him.  After  a  few  minutes  he 
stood  before  the  dresser,  and,  looking  into  the  mir 
ror,  commenced  talking  to  himself  something  in  this 
style : 

"Well,  Dick  Vaughn,  come  to  look  you  over  you 
haven't  much  to  recommend  you  in  a  race  for  the 
handsomest  and  sweetest  girl  in  the  old  bay  state. 
Your  position  in  the  bank  is  not  a  very  heavy  one 
and  does  not  pay  much  wages ;  the  bank  could  even 
get  along  without  you,  but  you  have  youth  and 
health  on  your  side,  and  are  not  so  bad  looking  as 
to  call  out  general  remark.  Add  to  these  facts  that 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  27 

you  lack  neither  cheek  nor  nerve,  which  are  very 
much  the  same,  and  we  find  there  is  a  fighting 
chance  for  you.  That  being  the  case,  Dick 
Vaughn,  we  take  the  chance." 

Then  turning  to  Frank,  he  said : 

"What  do  you  think  my  chances  are,  Frank? 
Will  I  win?" 

"I  hope  so,  Dick,  for  in  the  year  we  have  roomed 
together  you  have  taught  me  that  you  are  a  good 
fellow  to  tie  to." 

"All  right,  then,"  said  Dick,  taking  Frank  by  the 
hand.  "It's  decided;  I  win. " 


CHAPTER    III 

When  Dick  Vaughn  and  Frank  Bardwell  first 
became  roommates  it  was  not  the  easiest  thing  in 
the  world  for  Frank  to  persuade  Dick  to  attend 
church  on  Sunday,  and  it  was  especially  hard  to 
induce  him  to  go  as  far  as  Cambridge,  but  after  his 
meeting  with  Mabel  in  South  Market  street,  a 
decided  change  had  come  over  him,  and  it  was  Dick 
now  who  teased  Frank  to  attend  church  in  Cam 
bridge,  and  Frank  only  allowed  himself  to  be  teased 
to  plague  Dick  a  little. 

There  was  one  thing  that  Frank  had  had  instilled 
into  him,  and  that  was  that  there  was  no  better 
place  to  be  than  at  church  on  Sunday.  His  mother 
had  been  a  broad-minded  Christian,  and  although 
she  had  instilled  the  idea  of  church-going  into 
Frank,  she  had  shown  him  where  church-going 
would  be  a  pleasure  and  a  profit,  instead  of  trying 
to  make  him  think  it  was  a  duty.  The  views  of  the 
two  young  men  in  regard  to  Christianity  were  very 
much  the  same,  but  Frank  kept  his  views  to  him 
self,  while  Dick  never  lost  a  chance  to  put  himself 
right ;  not  that  he  was  at  all  prone  to  force  his  ideas 
on  others,  but  he  would  not  keep  quiet  when  he 
knew  by  so  doing  people  would  misjudge  him. 

For  the  next  few  weeks  the  two  young  men 
attended  church  in  Cambridge  quite  regularly,  and 
although  Dick  found  a  chance  each  Sunday  to  say  a 
few  words  to  Mabel,  he  did  not  find  any  excuse  to 

23 


RICHARD  VAUGHN  29 

call  upon  her.  Not  only  did  these  young  men 
attend  church  regularly  each  Sunday,  but  they 
attended  the  young  people's  meetings  Wednesday 
evenings.  This  fact  pleased  brother  Lemon  very 
much,  as  he  did  not  mistrust  that  there  was  a 
woman  in  the  case,  and  supposed  the  young  men 
only  went  because  they  were  thinking  more  of  their 
souls'  salvation. 

One  Wednesday  evening  Dick  and  Frank  were  a 
little  early  at  the  church,  and  found  several  of  the 
young  people  already  present  and  eagerly  talking 
of  a  spelling  bee  that  they  were  planning  to  have  at 
the  next  social. 

"It's  going  to  be  all  kinds  of  fun,"  said  Sammy 
Huggins.  "Brother  Eastman  got  up  the  idea,  and 
it  is  quite  original.  You  see  we  are  to  have  Josh 
Billings  for  authority,  and  everybody  will  be 
obliged  to  study  if  they  propose  to  try  for  the 
prize." 

Sammy  Huggins  was  a  protege  of  brother 
Lemon's,  and  was  studying  for  the  ministry; 
therefore,  it  was  not  surprising  to  know  that  he 
thought  a  spelling  bee  would  be  all  kinds  of  fun. 
Frank  smiled  at  the  idea,  but  Dick  was  quite  inter 
ested,  the  reason  for  the  same  being  that  Miss  Mabel 
Richards  was  with  the  other  young  people  who  were 
talking  it  over.  The  young  people's  meetings  at 
this  particular  church  were  attended  by  young 
people  from  fifteen  to  forty  years  of  age,  and  this 
was  the  reason  that  brother  William  Eastman  cou'd 
always  be  found  at  them,  and  why  he  often  pre 
sided. 

At  last  all  of  the  arrangements  were  made  for  the 


3o  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

spelling  bee,  or  all  but  one, — no  one  had  been 
appointed  to  put  out  the  words  and  decide  who 
should  receive  the  prize.  Several  offered  to  do  this, 
but  to  each  and  everyone  brother  Eastman  said: 
"We  must  have  you  in  the  class."  All  at  once  a 
new  idea  seemed  to  strike  him,  and  going  over  to 
where  Frank  was  sitting,  he  said: 

"I  want  you  to  put  out  the  words  and  award  the 
prize  when  we  have  our  spelling  match.  You  will 
do  it,  of  course?" 

"I  would  prefer  not  to,  Mr.  Eastman,"  said 
Frank.  "I  do  not  belong  to  the  church,  and  it 
might  seem  presumptuous  on  my  part  to  do  this." 

"That  is  the  very  reason  we  want  you.  We  want 
all  who  will  who  belong  to  the  church  to  spell,  and 
we  would  prefer  to  have  some  one  outside  of  the 
church  members  to  decide  among  us. " 

"I  would  prefer  not  to  do  this,  but  I  would  sug 
gest  that  you  take  Mr.  Vaughn.  He  would  be  much 
more  at  ease  than  I  would,  and  I  feel  sure  you  could 
induce  him  to  take  hold  of  it." 

Mr.  Eastman  then  turned  his  attention  to  Dick, 
who  had  succeeded  in  getting  near  Mabel  Richards, 
and  was  making  the  best  of  his  chance.  Dick 
heard  Mr.  Eastman's  proposition,  and  then  refused 
point  blank.  This  surprised  Mr.  Eastman  and 
seemed  to  trouble  him,  as  he  was  determined  to 
secure  some  one  who  was  not  a  member  of  the 
church  to  fill  this  position.  He  turned  to  Mabel 
Richards  and  said: 

"I  must  call  this  meeting  to  order.  Now,  will 
you  induce  Mr.  Vaughn  to  accept  the  position  I 
have  asked  him  to  fill?" 


RICHARD  VAUGHN  31 

"I  will  do  the  best  I  can,  Mr.  Eastman." 

With  this  Mr.  Eastman  called  the  meeting  to 
order  and  conducted  it  through  its  usual  course. 
Although  Dick  and  Mabel  sat  side  by  side  during 
the  whole  of  the  service,  not  a  word  was  said  by 
either  of  them.  As  soon  as  the  meeting  was  dis 
missed,  however,  Mabel  put  her  hand  on  Dick's 
arm  and  looking  him  square  in  the  eye,  said: 

"Mr  Vaughn,  to  please  me  will  you  take  charge 
of  the  spelling  at  the  next  social?" 

"Yes,"  said  Dick,  and  he  wished  she  would  ask 
him  a  harder  one. 

Mabel  went  at  once  to  Mr.  Eastman  and  told  him 
that  Dick  had  consented  to  act  as  schoolmaster,  and 
then  joined  several  of  the  other  young  ladies  who 
were  going  her  way  home.  Dick  tried  to  get  near 
her  for  a  last  word,  but  only  received  a  smiling 
"Thank  you,"  and  a  "Good-night,"  but  they  were 
a  good  deal  to  a  man  who  was  as  much  in  love  as  he 
was. 

One  evening  several  days  after  the  young  people's 
meeting,  and  when  it  was  near  the  time  for  the 
social,  Frank  came  home  and  found  Dick  walking 
the  floor  in  a  very  excited  frame  of  mind. 

"What's  the  matter,  Dick?  Has  she  gone  South 
and  left  you  with  just  the  remembrance  of  a  smile, 
as  the  novelists  say?" 

Dick  stopped  walking  and,  facing  his  friend,  said: 
"Come  in  and  shut  the  door.  I  am  so  mad  I  can 
hardly  see  straight." 

"All  right,  Dick,  the  door  is  shut,  Fire  away  and 
relieve  your  mind.  Perhaps  it  is  not  as  bad  as  you 
think,  but  let's  have  it." 


32  RICHARD  VAUGHN 

"I  tell  you,  Frank,  it  is  bad  enough  anyway,  but 
let  me  tell  you.  Just  before  the  bank  closed  this 
afternoon  I  had  a  caller  in  the  person  of  Mr.  William 
Eastman,  and  after  making  all  sorts  of  apologies  for 
calling  on  me,  he  stated  his  business  in  these  words, 
as  nearly  as  I  can  remember  them: 

"  'I  called  about  the  spelling  match  that  you  were 
to  take  charge  of  at  our  social  next  Thursday  even 
ing.  I  hardly  know  how  to  explain  it  to  you,  but  it 
is  this  way:  you  most  likely  know  Miss  Hartley  who 
attends  our  church.  She  is  a  school  teacher  and  a 
very  worthy  lady,  and  has  done  a  great  deal  for  the 
church.  We  feel  as  though  she  ought  to  be 
rewarded,  but  she  is  so  sensitive  that  it  is  a  hard 
matter  to  do  it,  and  we  have  thought  that  we  could 
do  it  through  the  agency  of  this  spelling  match.  At 
the  same  time  we  want  it  to  appear  all  right,  and  in 
order  to  do  it  I  have  formulated  this  plan:  I  have 
brought  you  a  book  that  has  some  of  Josh  Billings's 
articles  in  it  and  which  you  can  use  to  give  out  the 
words  from,  and  I  have  also  prepared  a  list  of  words 
that  are  to  be  propounded  to  Miss  Hartley  when  it 
comes  her  turn  to  spell.  I  will  see  that  she  learns 
these  words  correctly,  and  with  a  little  generalship 
on  your  part,  the  prize  will  go  where  we  want  it  to 
and  the  rest  of  the  participants  will  be  entirely 
satisfied.' 

"1  took  the  book  from  him,  also  the  slip  of  paper. 
My  first  impulse  was  to  throw  the  book  in  his  face 
and  curse  him  for  a  two-faced  wretch,  but  I 
remembered  that  I  had  promised  Miss  Richards 
that  I  would  act  as  pedagogue,  so,  swallowing  my 
indignation,  I  excused  myself  from  spending  any 


RICHARD  VAUGHN  33 

more  time  with  him  on  the  plea  of  work  and  bowed 
him  out.  It  was  lucky  that  I  was  through  with  my 
work,  for  I  was  so  mad  that  I  could  not  have  added 
up  a  column  of  figures  to  have  saved  me.  Now 
Frank,  what  do  you  think  of  it  all?  No  wonder  he 
is  a  friend  of  old  man  Lemon's.  He  is  an  apt  pupil 
and  will  be  as  big  a  rascal  as  his  master  if  he  keeps 
on." 

Frank  gave  a  long  whistle,  cocked  his  feet  up  on 
the  back  of  a  chair,  and  said : 

"That  is  a  scheme  worthy  of  a  ward  politician, 
but  there  doesn't  seem  to  be  any  going  back  on  the 
returns,  for  you  have  the  whole  thing  down  pat. 
What  are  you  going  to  do  about  it?" 

"What  would  you  do?" 

"I  would  have  to  think  it  over  a  little.  I  am 
more  than  surprised  that  a  proposition  of  that  kind 
should  come  from  Mr.  Eastman,  for  if  there  is  a 
man  of  my  acquaintance  that  I  would  have  taken 
for  an  honest  Christian  and  above  all  petty  mean 
ness,  it  was  Mr.  William  Eastman.  I  am  not  going 
to  advise  you  what  to  do,  but  I  would  be  willing  to 
bet  my  life  against  a  dime  that  you  will  never  be  a 
party  to  any  underhand  meanness." 

"Thank  you,  Frank.  I  would  give  more  fcr  your 
good  opinion  than  I  would  for  that  of  any  other  man 
on  earth." 

"All  right,  Dick,  you  have  it.  But  there  is  the 
supper  bell;  let's  go  down  and  try  a  little  of  Mrs. 
Sargent's  raw  material." 

When  the  Thursday  evening  of  the  social  came, 
our  two  friends  dressed  with  the  utmost  care.  Dick 
had  recovered  entirely  from  his  mad  fit,  and  was 


34  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

his  own  natural  self  again.  Frank  was  anticipating 
a  pleasant  evening,  for  he  was  now  quite  well 
acquainted  with  a  number  of  the  young  people 
belonging  to  Mr.  Spencer's  followers. 

The  social  commenced  with  the  never-to-be- 
skipped  piano  solo,  given  by  some  young  member 
of  the  church  was  supposed  to  have  exceptional 
talent.  This  was  followed  by  a  recitation  from 
Miss  Hartley  which  was  supposed  to  be  funny. 
She  was  encored  and  then  gave  a  pathetic  one  that 
made  the  people  glad  to  let  her  go  in  peace. 
Another  solo  by  another  exceptional  and  a  short 
talk  by  Mr.  Spencer  used  up  the  time  until  the 
long  tables  were  spread  for  a  lunch,  or  supper,  that 
had  been  provided  by  the  sisters. 

After  the  supper  came  the  event  of  the  evening 
— the  spelling  match.  Mr.  Eastman  announced 
that  every  one  present  would  be  allowed  to  contest 
for  the  prize,  an  oil  painting,  which  was  a  very  fine 
work  of  art.  The  picture  had  been  hung  up  for 
inspection  and  was  admired  by  all.  There  were 
about  fifty  of  the  young  people  who  took  part  in  the 
contest,  besides  a  few  who  were  not  so  young.  All 
seemed  to  enter  into  the  contest  in  high  glee,  and 
no  doubt  each  one  figured  that  there  was  a  chance 
that  his  memory  would  prove  better  than  that  of  the 
others  and  that  he  might  win  the  prize.  Mr.  East 
man  reminded  Dick  not  to  forget  the  slip  of  paper 
for  Miss  Hartley,  and  all  was  ready  for  the  contest. 
Dick  was- letter  perfect  in  his  part  and  used  neither 
book  nor  paper.  He  held  the  book  behind  him  and 
gave  out  the  words  as  fast  as  they  could  be  taken 
care  of,  and  motioned  each  one  down  as  they  missed. 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  35 

One-half  of  the  contestants  went  down  on  the  first 
trial.  After  the  first  round  Dick  found  that  he  had 
some  bright  scholars  before  him  who  had  prepared 
themselves  quite  well,  but  they  gave  way  one  by 
one.  Frank  did  not  take  part,  but  watched  the 
proceedings  closely,  and  noticed  a  look  of  relief  pass 
over  Dick's  face  as  Miss  Richards  missed  and  he 
motioned  her  to  be  seated. 

After  a  time  all  were  down  but  two,  Miss  Hartley 
and  Mrs.  Mary  White.  Miss  Hartley  was  given  a 
word  and  missed.  Mrs.  White  spelled  it  correctly 
according  to  the  authority.  Miss  Hartley  did  not 
sit  down  when  she  missed,  and  as  Mrs.  White  spelled 
the  word  correctly,  Mr.  Eastman  called  out:  "Miss 
Hartley  wins  the  prize."  Dick  put  up  his  hand, 
and  said: 

"One  moment,  please;  I  believe  I  am  the  judge 
of  this  contest.  Mrs.  White  gets  the  prize.  Miss 
Hartley  missed  the  last  word  given  out  and  Mrs. 
White  spelled  it  correctly." 

There  was  confusion  for  a  few  moments,  but  Dick 
stood  firm  and  won  his  point.  The  poor  sewing- 
woman,  Mrs.  White,  was  overjoyed  at  her  success, 
and  Miss  Hartley  retired  at  once  to  one  of  the 
side  rooms  in  no  very  enviable  frame  of  mind.  Mr. 
Eastman  came  up  to  Dick,  and  said : 

"Your  decision  was  wrong.  Mrs.  White  cannot 
appreciate  a  work  of  art  like  that. " 

"If  that  is  so,"  said  Dick,  "why  didn't  you  make 
it  a  contest  of  appreciation?" 

There  had  been  a  good  deal  of  interest  in  the 
whole  affair,  and  one  of  the  most  interested  ones 
was  Mabel  Richards.  After  she  lost  her  place  in 


36  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

the  line  she  stood  by  and  watched  every  move,  and 
when  the  dispute  came  at  the  last,  she  never  took 
her  eyes  off  of  Dick.  When  he  stuck  to  his  rights 
she  seemed  pleased,  and  after  it  was  all  over  she 
went  up  to  him  and  said: 

"I  must  thank  you  again  for  filling  this  position, 
as  you  did  it  by  my  request,  and  I  must  congratu 
late  you  on  your  ability  as  a  judge." 

Dick  was  walking  on  air  on  account  of  the 
endorsement  he  had  received  from  Miss  Mabel,  but 
realizing  that  there  would  be  no  further  chance  of 
getting  a  word  with  her,  he  was  willing  to  accept 
Frank's  suggestion  to  go  home. 

Going  through  the  archway  from  Leverett  to 
Chamber  street  that  night  the  young  men  ran 
against  a  fellow-boarder  by  the  name  of  Harley 
Bean.  Harley  was  connected  with  one  of  the  daily 
papers,  but  at  that  time  should  have  been  home,  as 
he  was  through  with  his  work.  As  soon  as  he  was 
recognized  Dick  sang  out: 

"Hello,  Harley,  why  don't  you  go  home?  All 
the  other  places  are  shut  up."  Harley  had  been 
imbibing  a  little  too  much,  and,  steadying  him 
self  to  get  a  better  view  of  the  young  men,  he 
said: 

"The  Archway  is  open,  isn't  it?  You  see,  boys," 
he  continued,  "I  am  not  as  sober  as  I  might  be,  and 
if  I  stay  here  a  while  I  will  only  get  cold,  but  if  I  go 
home  I  will  get  h— 11." 

Dick  and  Frank  took  hold  of  him  and  walked  him 
toward  the  boarding-house.  He  went  willingly 
until  he  reached  the  door,  and  then  he  stopped. 

"Hold  on,  boys,"  said  he,  "my  name  is  Harley, 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  37 

not  Daniel.  I  don't  go  into  a  lion's  den  to-night, 
not  much." 

The  boys  promised  to  take  him  to  their  own 
room,  which  they  did,  and  after  he  had  sat  down  a 
few  moments  he  seemed  to  improve  as  far  as  his 
head  was  concerned,  but  grew  worse  in  his  feet  and 
legs.  The  boys  did  not  want  to  go  to  bed  and  leave 
him,  and  could  not  turn  him  out.  He  was  a  bright 
fellow  and  well  liked. 

"What  makes  you  drink  so?"  said  Dick. 

"What  makes  me?  Why,  Dick,  I  have  to.  You 
see,  it's  this  way:  my  wife  is  a  very  nervous 
woman  and  needs  something  to  worry  about  all  the 
time.  If  I  keep  sober  too  long  she  gets  jealous  of 
me,  and  when  I  get  drunk  it  gives  her  something 
else  to  think  about." 

"Your  work  is  bad  for  you,"  said  Dick.  "How 
did  you  happen  to  be  a  newspaper  man?" 

"It  was  all  her  fault;  I  could  not  help  it.  Would 
never  have  thought  of  writing  if  it  hadn't  been  for 
her." 

"Why  blame  her  for  a  thing  which  most  likely 
you  are  to  blame  for  yourself?"  said  Frank. 

"Let  me  tell  you,"  said  Harley.  "When  I  was 
married  I  was  a  hard-working  mechanic.  I  loved 
my  work  and  I  loved  my  wife.  I  was  a  good  work 
man  and  was  doing  well,  but  my  wife  became 
absurdly  jealous  of  me.  She  was  not  only  jealous 
of  other  women  that  I  happened  to  meet  in  the 
street,  but  she  was  jealous  of  my  work,  or  of  the 
paper  that  I  read  in  the  morning.  One  Sunday  we 
were  taking  a  horse-car  ride  for  pleasure,  when  my 
wife  noticed  two  girls  on  the  opposite  seat  of  the  car 


38  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

who  seemed  to  be  watching  us.  I  had  not  noticed 
them  until  my  wife  pulled  me  by  the  sleeve  and 
said: 

"  'Who  are  those  girls,  Harley?' 

"  'Never  saw  them  before  in  my  life,'  said  I,  and 
I  was  honest  in  saying  it. 

14  'I  know  better,'  said  she,  and  she  jumped  up 
and  stopped  the  car. 

"  'Come  on,'  she  continued,  and  out  we  got. 

"  'Now  don't  tell  me  that  you  don't  know  those 
bold,  bad-faced  women.  They  would  never  have 
looked  at  you  like  that  if  you  had  not  been 
acquainted  with  them.  I  have  read  all  about  such 
things;  you  can't  tell  me.' 

"I  then  remembered  that  she  was  always  quoting 
what  she  read,  and  I  also  remembered  that  she 
never  doubted  anything  she  ever  read ;  neither  did 
she  ever  question  any  sermon  that  she  ever  heard 
preached.  It  was  then  I  decided  that  I  must  either 
become  a  preacher  or  a  writer.  After  thinking  the 
thing  over  for  a  while  I  decided  that,  as  I  was  not 
just  cut  out  for  a  preacher,  I  would  write,  and  I 
commenced  at  once.  I  met  with  success  beyond 
my  expectations  as  a  space  writer  on  the  Sunday 
papers,  and  always  managed  to  get  the  stuff  that  I 
wrote  into  the  hands  of  my  wife.  The  scheme 
worked  like  a  charm,  and  I  was  educating  the  dear 
girl  just  in  the  lines  I  wanted  to.  It  was  the  first 
real  pleasure  I  had  ever  known  since  I  was  married. 
In  an  unguarded  moment  a  so-called  friend  found 
out  that  I  was  space-writing.  He  also  found  out 
that  I  was  the  writer  of  a  certain  pet  article  of  mine 
that  I  was  particularly  fond  of,  because  it  had 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  39 

helped  me  so  much  with  my  wife.  The  next  time 
this  rank  enemy  in  the  guise  of  a  friend  saw  my 
wife  he  congratulated  her  on  my  ability  as  a  writer, 
and  my  wife,  poor  hungry  soul,  who  had  found 
nothing  to  quarrel  about  with  me  for  months,  caught 
at  this  straw  and  followed  it  up  until  she  had  found 
out  my  whole  secret.  From  that  day  to  this  she  has 
never  looked  into  a  Sunday  paper,  and  if  I  find  any 
thing  anywhere  that  I  don't  want  her  to  read,  all  I 
have  to  do  is  to  hand  it  to  her  and  tell  her  that  I 
wrote  it.  With  my  last  hope  gone,  I  took  to  drink. 
The  first  time  I  went  home  drunk  she  swore  she 
would  commit  suicide  if  ever  I  came  home  in  that 
condition  again.  She  isn't  a  woman  of  her  word. 
I  was  drunk  the  next  night,  but  she  didn't  suicide 
worth  a  cent.  My  hope  in  that  direction  is  gone 
now,  for  she  has  gotten  it  into  her  head  that  I  want 
her  to ;  but  if  you  will  excuse  me,  I  will  retire. ' ' 
And  he  curled  himself  up  in  the  big  arm-chair  and 
was  soon  fast  asleep. 


CHAPTER   IV 

"And  so  you  are  really  going,  Mabel,  and  noth 
ing  that  I  can  say  will  dissuade  you?" 

"No,  Dick;  I  cannot  change  my  plans  now.  I 
am  afraid  I  have  been  making  excuses  to  myself 
to  put  off  my  day  of  departure  ever  since  you  first 
made  me  say  that  I  loved  you,  and  that  was  six 
months  ago.  You  know  you  took  advantage  of  me 
after  the  spelling  match  because  I  praised  you  a 
little." 

"Yes,  I  remember  all  about  that;  you  have  told 
me  of  it  several  times.  But  I  forgave  you,  for  you 
must  have  some  excuse  for  falling  in  love  with  a  fel 
low  who  cannot  draw  enough  salary  to  support  a 
wife." 

Dick  spoke  a  little  bitterly.  He  had  never 
realized  how  badly  he  was  in  need  of  money  until 
he  found  that  Mabel  loved  him. 

"Don't  worry  about  money,  Dick.  We  are  both 
young,  and  I  am  sure  that  with  your  ability  you 
will  get  to  the  front  in  a  little  time.  It  isn't  as 
though  we  were  engaged  and  were  looking  forward 
to  a  day  when  we  should  need  money  to  go  to 
housekeeping  with." 

"Is  not  the  understanding  we  have  nearly  equal 
to  an  engagement?" 

"Perhaps  so,  and  still  it  leaves  us  free  in  case  I 
should  decide  to  continue  teaching,  or  you  should 
find  some  one  else  you  liked  better." 

40 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  41 

"That  is  all  very  nice  to  say,  or  perhaps  it  is,  but 
we  have  talked  that  matter  over  so  often  that  to  say 
anything  more  about  it  would  only  be  a  repetition 
of  words.  There  is  otie  thing  I  do  want  to  speak  to 
you  about,  however,  and  that  is  what  you  seem  to 
think  is  your  mission  in  life.  I  do  not  want  you  to 
feel  hurt  at  anything  I  say,  but  I  do  want  to  tell 
you  a  few  things  that  you  have  never  had  a  chance 
to  learn.  You  have  been  taught  to  look  upon  the 
negro  of  the  South  as  a  brother,  but  you  have  never 
analyzed  that  sentiment.  The  negro  is  no  more  the 
equal  of  the  white  man  than  is  the  cur  that  runs  the 
streets  the  brother  of  the  negro.  They  are  a  sep 
arate  and  distinct  race,  and  if  people  would  be 
governed  more  by  their  reason,  instead  of  senti 
ment,  they  would  appreciate  this  fact." 

"But,  Dick,  you  must  be  mistaken,  and  although 
I  think  a  great  deal  of  your  opinion,  I  cannot  help 
but  think  that  you  have  gotten  upon  the  wrong 
track.  Mr.  Spencer  and  several  other  ministers 
whom  I  have  heard  take  the  ground  that  the  negro 
is  our  brother,  and  not  only  that,  but  our  govern 
ment  recognized  the  fact  and  passed  the  amend 
ments  to  our  Constitution,  making  them  free  and 
equal  and  giving  them  the  same  rights  that  are 
conferred  upon  these  of  our  own  color.  Besides 
this,  the  great  and  noble  Lincoln  signed  the  bills 
passed  by  Congress  that  changed  the  Constitution  in 
this  regard." 

"I  am  delighted  to  find  that  you  are  so  well  posted 
in  recent  history,  but  the  fact  remains  that  the 
minister  who  preaches  from  the  pulpit  that  the  negro 
is  a  brother  and  an  equal  is  one  of  the  most  incon- 


42  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

sistent  men  living.  Suppose  Mr.  Spencer's  sister, 
whom  we  all  know  to  be  a  perfectly  refined,  educated 
and  lovely  girl,  should  fall  in  love  with  young 
Morris,  the  negro  lawyer,  do  you  think  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Spencer  would  take  pleasure  in  arranging  for 
the  nuptials,  and  would  refined  little  Mrs.  Spencer 
kiss  the  bridegroom,  and  take  pleasure  in  introduc 
ing  her  black  brother,  and  would  Mr.  Spencer 
officiate  at  the  wedding,  and  would  the  father  of  the 
bride  place  his  hands  on  the  heads  of  the  newly- 
married  couple,  and  say,  'Bless  you,  my  children, 
bless  you'?" 

"Oh,  stop,  stop,  Dick!  What  an  awful  thing  to 
think  of,  but  of  course  they  do  not  mean  that  way." 

"No,  that  is  the  trouble;  they  don't  mean  that 
the  negro  shall  be  a  brother  except  in  theory.  No 
one  does  who  thinks." 

"But  what  about  the  men  who  added  to  the  Con 
stitution  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  amendment, 
and  the  man  who  was  at  the  head  of  the  nation  at 
that  time?" 

"Oh,  there  is  nothing  about  them  that  I  know  of, 
but  did  you  ever  hear  of  Mr.  Fred  Douglas  and  his 
white  wife?  Did  you  ever  hear  of  any  of  the  great 
men  of  whom  you  speak  paying  any  special  atten 
tion  to  her?  If  you  will  look  into  the  facts,  I  think 
you  will  find  that  she  was  ostracized  by  Washing 
ton  society." 

"How  do  you  think  of  all  those  things,  Dick? 
You  take  my  breath  away  by  your  statements,  and 
they  are  so  different  from  anything  that  I  have 
ever  heard  before.  I  wonder  you  do  not  say  that 
the  martyred  President  was  a  theorist  also." 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  43 

"No,  I  have  nothing  but  good  to  say  of  Lincoln, 
for  if  there  ever  was  an  honest  man,  he  was  one. 
I  remember  the  day  the  news  came  of  his  being 
shot,  and  I  could  not  understand  how  the  sun  could 
continue  to  shine.  I  remember  how  I  cried  and 
grieved  in  my  boyish  way,  but  to-day  as  I  look  at 
it,  there  are  two  sides  to  the  matter." 

"Two  sides?  How  can  there  be  two  sides  to  such 
a  horrible  murder?  You  cannot  in  any  way  justify 
it.  I  don't  believe  I  could  continue  to  love  you  if 
you  tried  to." 

"Don't  worry,  I  am  not  trying  to  justify  the 
cowardly  murder,  but  I  do  not  lose  sight  of  the  fact 
that  had  he  lived  through  the  reconstruction 
period,  he  would  have  made  an  abundance  of 
enemies.  The  truth  of  the  matter  is,  he  died  just 
in  time,  and  in  just  such  a  manner  as  to  have  his 
virtues  stand  out  so  prominently  that  they  covered 
what  few  faults  he  may  have  had,  and  he  lives  in 
the  hearts  of  the  people  to-day,  and  I  am  glad  to 
say  he  always  will,  as  a  man  of  exceptional  worth 
and  ability,  as  a  man  of  honor  and  truth,  and  a 
man  who  loved  his  fellow  man.  Republics  are  not 
appreciative,  and  the  only  man  they  really  honor  is 
the  man  who  dies  when  at  the  zenith  of  his  fame." 

While  the  lovers  had  been  talking  in  the  front 
parlor  of  the  Richards  residence,  Mr.  Richards  had 
come  into  the  back  parlor  and  had  overheard  much 
of  the  conversation.  He  had  taken  no  pains  to 
keep  quiet,  and  supposed  the  young  people  knew 
he  was  there,  but  they  were  so  interested  in  their 
talk  that  they  had  not  heard  him.  At  last  he 
became  interested,  and  laying  down  his  book, 


44  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

listened,  but  realizing  what  he  was  doing,  he  came 
into  the  parlor  where  the  two  young  people  were, 
and  said: 

"I  tried  to  make  you  people  know  that  I  was 
within  hearing,  but  you  were  so  wrapped  up  in 
yourselves  that  you  did  not  seem  to  notice  me,  and 
I  could  not  help  hearing  your  conversation.  You 
seem  to  have  studied  the  question  a  good  deal, 
Richard." 

"I  have  studied  it  some,  and  have  been  thinking 
about  it  a  good  deal  since  I  became  acquainted  with 
your  daughter." 

"As  you  overheard  the  conversation,  papa,  you 
ought  to  be  able  to  tell  us  how  I  can  refute  his 
arguments,"  said  Mabel. 

"I  have  not  given  these  matters  much  thought, 
but  I  have  rather  taken  what  the  preachers  have 
said  for  granted,  and  am  not  prepared  to  take  up 
the  cudgel  for  either  side." 

"Do  you  believe  that  the  negro  is  equal  with  the 
white  man?"  asked  Dick  of  Mr.  Richards. 

"I  presume  God  looks  at  them  in  the  same 
light." 

"Leaving  God  out  of  the  question,  do  you  look  at 
them  in  the  same  light?" 

"I  never  had  thought  much  about  it,  but  I  sup 
pose  I  do." 

"Would  you  be  willing  to  give  your  daughter 
Mabel  to  a  negro  for  a  wife?" 

"Of  course  not,  your  question  is  ridiculous." 

"Is  my  question  any  more  ridiculous  than  your 
inconsistency?" 

"Perhaps  not,  Mr.  Vaughn,  but  I  do  not  core  t-> 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  45 

continue  the  subject."  With  this  Mr.  Richards  left 
the  room. 

"Perhaps  I  did  wrong,  Mabel,  in  saying  what 
I  did  to  your  father,  but  I  could  not  help  it. " 

"Papa  will  not  care  unless  you  press  him  further. 
He  is  one  who  does  not  like  to  bother  with  knotty 
questions.  If  I  ever  had  a  thought  of  backing  out 
of  my  trip  South,  that  thought  is  gone,  and  you 
have  yourself  to  thank  for  it.  I  am  going  out  into 
the  world  to  see  something  for  myself.  I  have 
depended  too  long  upon  others  for  all  of  my  infor 
mation," 

"I  am  sorry  you  have  decided  in  this  way,  but  I 
don't  know  what  I  can  do  to  help  matters.  If  you 
do  not  get  sick  in  that  trying  climate,  you  will  cer 
tainly  get  a  lot  of  experience." 

The  next  night  when  Dick  went  to  his  room  he 
found  a  note  from  Mabel,  which  read: 

"Dear  Dick :  Forgive  me  for  not  saying  good-b}re. 
I  did  not  have  the  courage  to  tell  3^011  that  my  plans 
were  all  made  to  leave  to-day.  When  you  are  with 
me  my  good  resolutions  weaken,  but  when  you  are 
away,  I  see  my  duty  and  have  the  strength  to  do  it. 
I  am  glad  we  are  not  engaged,  and  I  assure  you  that 
I  shall  never  marry.  I  know  my  duty  and  shall  do 
it,  and  I  believe  this  is  what  God  requires  of  me.  I 
do  not  intend  to  write  you,  Dick,  for  your  ideas  are 
not  in  harmony  with  my  work,  and  your  letters 
could  not  help  me.  Besides  that,  it  is  your  duty  to 
forget  me  and  place  your  affections  on  some  one 
who  has  no  such  duty  as  I  have  to  perform.  Do 
not  think  for  a  moment  that  I  can  write  this  with 
out  many  regrets  for  what  I  realize  can  never  be, 


46  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

but  I  am  doing  what  is  best  for  us  both.  Good-bye, 
my  first  and  only  love.  "MABEL." 

When  Dick  had  finished  reading  the  note  he 
handed  it  to  Frank  without  a  word  of  explanation. 
Frank  read  it,  and  handing  it  back,  said : 

"I  would  not  trouble  my  head  about  that,  Dick. 
That  girl  loves  you,  and  when  a  girl  like  that  loves, 
her  love  will  outlast  the  separation  of  a  year,  and 
that  is  longer  than  she  will  stay  down  there  among 
those  freedmen  in  the  South.  If  she  had  not  gone, 
she  never  would  have  forgiven  herself,  as  she  had 
gotten  it  into  her  head  that  it  was  her  duty  to  go. 
So  don't  worry,  old  boy;  just  remember  my  words. 
She  will  come  back,  and  when  she  does,  Dick 
Vaughn  will  be  the  only  one  she  will  see." 

"Thank  you,  Frank,  for  your  encouraging 
remarks,  but  I  never  felt  so  heavy  in  my  life  as  I 
do  now,  and  I  cannot  shake  the  feeling  off.  It 
seems  as  though  something  were  about  to  happen, 
but  perhaps  it  is  because  something  has  happened." 

Frank,  trying  to  keep  Dick  from  thinking  of  his 
troubles,  proposed  that  they  take  a  walk.  The  invi 
tation  was  accepted,  and  the  young  men  were  soon 
on  the  street.  As  they  were  walking  without  any 
particular  object  in  view,  they  soon  found  them 
selves  away  from  the  more  crowded  thoroughfares, 
and  their  attention  was  attracted  by  some  loud  talk 
ing  in  front  of  them  on  the  sidewalk.  Two  men 
and  two  women  were  engaged  in  conversation,  and, 
to  judge  by  their  voices,  the  subject  under  discus 
sion  was  one  on  which  all  did  not  agree.  Just  as 
our  two  young  men  came  opposite  to  them,  one  of 
the  men  said  something  to  one  of  the  women, 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  47 

emphasizing  it  with  an  oath,  and  at  the  same  time 
striking  her  in  the  face  with  his  fist.  The  girl 
dropped  like  a  log;  the  other  girl  screamed  and  the 
other  man  ran.  Dick,  who  was  nearer  the  brute 
who  struck  the  girl  than  Frank,  knocked  the  fellow 
down,  and  not  being  in  a  very  amiable  frame  of 
mind,  jumped  on  his  prostrate  form  and  kicked  him 
good.  The  girls  dodged  into  a  house  near  by,  but 
their  screams  had  already  aroused  the  police. 
Frank,  seeing  that  they  were  liable  to  have  an 
explanation  to  make,  pulled  Dick  off,  and  the  boys 
ran  down  an  alley  and  soon  got  back  to  their  own 
room. 

At  breakfast  the  next  morning  one  of  the  board 
ers  said: 

"Mr.  Vaughn,  here  is  something  that  will  interest 
you ;  let  me  read  it : 

"  'About  ten  o'clock  last  night,  as  Mr.  Henry  E. 
Ballard,  son  of  George  F  Ballard,  president  of  the 
Metro  Bank,  and  his  friend,  Dr.  William  Gates, 
were  walking  along  Howard  street,  they  were 
attacked  by  two  roughs.  Doctor  Gates  ran,  leaving 
Mr.  Ballard  to  stand  the  brunt  of  the  battle.  Mr. 
Ballard  fought  the  two  men,  but  a  blow  from  some 
blunt  instrument  in  the  hands  of  one  of  his  assailants 
laid  him  out,  and  he  was  severely  beaten.  The 
robbers  got  something  like  twenty-five  dollars  in 
money,  and  broke  his  watch  chain  trying  to  secure 
his  watch,  but  Mr.  Ballard  fought  them  so  hard  that 
he  kept  his  watch,  and  the  robbers,  seeing  the  police 
approaching,  ran  down  an  alley  and  disappeared. 
The  thugs  must  be  getting  pretty  bold  when  they 
will  ply  their  trade  in  so  conspicuous  a  place,  and  it 


48  RICHARD  VAUGHN 

seems  as  though  our  police  force  needed  a  little 
polishing  up.'  ' 

Dick's  face  was  a  picture.  He  was  surprised  and 
scared  at  the  same  time;  surprised  that  he  had  not 
recognized  young  Ballard  and  scared  to  think  that 
perhaps  Ballard  had  recognized  him.  Afterwards, 
as  he  thought  of  the  lie  about  the  robbers,  he 
wanted  to  laugh.  He  never  looked  at  Frank,  but 
after  breakfast  they  went  up  to  their  room,  and, 
after  looking  at  each  other  for  a  moment,  both 
broke  out  in  laughter. 

"After  all,"  said  Dick,  after  a  little,  "this  may  be 
no  laughing  matter  for  me.  If  it  should  turn  out 
that  he  had  recognized  me,  it  would  be  a  bad  job 
for  me." 

"He  certainly  could  not  have  known  you  or  he 
would  never  have  sprung  that  story  on  the  police." 

Dick  was  very  busy  on  his  books  that  morning,  at 
the  bank,  when  )^oung  Ballard  came  in,  and  was 
wondering  what  he  should  say  to  him  about  the 
affair  when  he  heard  another  clerk  say: 

"You  had  a  serious  time  last  night,  Mr.  Ballard." 

"There,  that  will  do,"  said  Mr.  Ballard.  "I  don't 
want  any  of  you  to  say  one  word  to  me  about  that 
affair.  I  feel  sore  enough  about  it  anyway." 

Dick  looked  up  from  his  books,  and  said  to  him 
self,  "I  wouldn't  wonder  if  you  did  feel  a  little  sore, 
by  the  looks  of  that  face."  One  eye  was  black,  his 
nose  was  skinned,  and  he  had  a  general  used-up 
appearance.  His  father  told  him  he  should  not 
have  come  down.  Dick  did  not  like  the  look  that 
young  Ballard  gave  him,  but  he  had  no  way  of  find 
ing  out  what  was  in  the  young1  man's  mind. 


RICHARD  VAUGHN  49 

It  was  nearly  a  month  after  this  event  and  some 
time  alter  Dick  had  decided  that  his  alarms  were 
false  in  regard  to  young  Ballard  knowing  he  was 
the  man  who  beat  him,  when  the  boys  had  a  caller. 
They  were  in  their  room  and  Dick,  as  usual,  was 
talking  about  Mabel  and  wondering  how  long  she 
would  stay  in  the  South.  There  came  a  rap  at  the 
door  and  in  walked  Harley  Bean.  He  came  in  on 
tiptoe,  and  the  boys  took  it  for  granted  that  he  was 
on  another  of  his  periodical  drunks. 

"Good  evening,  boys.  I  told  the  old  girl  I  had 
to  go  out  on  an  assignment  to-night,  just  because  I 
wanted  to  come  up  and  see  you.  The  fact  is,  boys, 
I  have  been  so  good  lately  that  I  feel  as  though  I 
were  beginning  to  rust." 

44  What  makes  you  speak  so  disrespectfully  of  your 
wife  as  to  call  her  tne  'old  girl'?"  said  Frank. 

"You  would  not  have  me  call  her  a  young  girl, 
would  you?  But  I  forget,  you  don't  know  her  well 
enough  to  appreciate  the  name." 

"Why  did  you  lie  to  her  when  you  were  coming 
up  here  instead  of  telling  her  you  were  going  to  call 
on  us?"  said  Frank,  and  as  he  said  it  he  did  not  try 
to  cover  up  his  disgust. 

"There  again  you  don't  know  her,  my  boy.  If 
she  knew  where  I  was  she  would  have  her  ear  at 
that  keyhole  right  now,"  and  he  got  up,  and  open 
ing  the  door,  looked  out. 

Dick  motioned  to  Frank  to  keep  still,  and  then 
said: 

"Don't  mind  Frank,  Harley;  he  is  in  love,  or  I 
should  judge  he  was,  by  the  way  he  takes  up  for  the 
weaker  sex." 


50  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

"Oh,  I  don't  mind  him.  I  used  to  be  that  way 
myself,  but  I  paid  a  minister  ten  dollars  and  got 
cured.  You  see,  boys,  it's  this  way:  it  doesn't  do 
to  tell  a  woman  everything,  at  all  events  not  in  my 
case ;  although  you  might  work  it  all  right  in  your 
line  of  business.  Did  any  one  ever  tell  you  that 
Harley  Bean  was  one  of  the  best  paid  reporters  in 
Boston?  No?  Probably  not,  but  you  would  find 
that  to  be  a  fact  if  you  hunted  for  it.  If  I  took  my 
wife's  advice  I  would  not  earn  money  enough  to 
pay  room  rent.  She  tells  me  that  I  should  never 
accept  an  assignment  where  I  would  be  obliged  to 
go  into  any  place  where  I  could  not  take  my  wife, 
and  my  best  jobs  are  of  the  criminal  order.  Say, 
boys,  you  are  wondering  why  I  came  up  here,  aren't 
you?  Well,  I  will  tell  you.  Why,  I  haven't  been 
up  here  since  I  slept  in  that  chair,  have  I?  I  ought 
to  be  more  neighborly,  hadn't  I?  Say,  Dick,  how 
much  would  the  people  up  at  your  bank  give  to 
know  who  beat  up  young  Ballard?" 

The  question  came  so  suddenly  that  it  took  Dick 
by  surprise,  and  he  paled  visibly,  but  he  gathered 
himself  together  quickly,  and  said: 

"I  am  sure  I  don't  know;  have  never  thought 
about  it,  in  fact. ' ' 

"Then  let  me  put  the  question  another  way. 
How  much  would  you  give  to  have  them  kept  in 
ignorance  of  who  did  it?" 

"Why  should  I  give  anything,  or  why  should  the 
thing  interest  me  in  the  least?"  said  Dick. 

"You  carry  that  out  pretty  well,  Dick,  although 
you  did  give  yourself  away  a  little  at  first ;  but  your 
chum  here,  Frank,  has  gone  all  to  pieces.  When  I 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  51 

came  in  here  to-night  you  both  thought  I  was  full, 
and  I  let  you  think  so  just  to  get  your  minds  in  good 
shape.  When  I  got  ready  to  get  down  to  business, 
you  both  fell  into  my  trap.  Now,  Frank,  I  want  to 
give  you  a  piece  of  advice:  don't  measure  every 
one  by  your  little  six-inch  rule,  and  don't  judge 
other  people's  motives.  I  have  heard  you  say  those 
same  words  to  Dick,  but  it  was  when  he  was  coming 
down  on  some  of  the  church  folks.  Don't  forget 
that  there  are  other  people  in  the  world  who  are 
worthy  of  consideration  besides  those  whom  you 
happen  to  think  are  worthy  of  it." 

"You  are  right,  Harley,  and  I  am  wrong.  I  have 
always  tried  to  have  consideration  for  every  one, 
and  I  shall  try  harder  in  the  future." 

"Now,  boys,"  said  Harley,  "you  may  need  a  friend 
before  you  know  it,  and  you  may  find  that  Harley 
is  not  such  a  bad  fellow  after  all,  even  if  he  does 
have  to  tell  a  few  crooked  stories  to  his  wife.  Do 
you  remember  meeting  me  on  Washington  street 
the  day  before  yesterday,  Dick?" 

"Yes,  of  course.  We  stopped  and  talked  a  few 
minutes  at  the  corner  of  Washington  and  Milk.  I 
remember  you  spoke  to  two  young  ladies  while  we 
were  standing  there." 

"Exactly;  your  memory  is  good.  Well,  I  was  out 
last  night  and  dropped  into  Mose  Pearson's  place  in 
Haymarket  Square,  and  saw  those  same  girls  again. 
They  asked  after  you  very  particularly.  They 
wanted  to  know  your  name  first,  also  who  you  were, 
and  where  you  worked.  I  thought  possibly  there 
might  be  something  up,  so  I  told  them  your  name 
was  Charlie  Thompson,  and  that  you  worked  some- 


52  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

where  down  on  State  street,  but  that  I  did  not 
know  where.  'But,'  said  I,  'why  are  you  so  inter 
ested  in  him?'  And  then  they  told  me  the  whole 
story  of  the  Howard  street  affair  and  the  part  you 
took  in  it.  You  did  him  up  in  bad  shape  and  did  it 
quick.  I  learned  another  little  piece  of  news  at  the 
same  place  last  night  that  I  wrote  up  and  got 
twenty-five  dollars  for  this  morning  but  I  told  my 
wife  that  I  was  sent  out  late  to  report  a  church 
festival  over  in  East  Boston.  It  pleases  her  better 
that  way." 


CHAPTER   V 

"Will  you  share  my  umbrella  with  me?"  said 
Frank  Bardwell,  as  he  stepped  up  beside  a  young- 
lady  on  the  corner  of  Cornhill  and  Court  streets. 
The  young  lady  glanced  at  the  speaker,  and  said : 

"How  can  I  help  it,  Mr.  Bardwell,  when  you  have 
already  placed  it  over  me?" 

"Then  perhaps  you  had  better  take  my  arm,  that 
we  may  both  keep  out  of  the  wet  better." 

The  young  lady  was  Miss  Olive  Sargent,  the 
landlady's  homely  daughter.  The  shower  had 
come  up  suddenly  and  found  her  unprepared,  and 
Frank,  coming  along  just  at  that  time,  saved  her 
from  a  wetting. 

"It  doesn't  seem  just  right  to  accept  favors  from 
a  stranger,  Mr.  Bardwell." 

"And  we  are  such  strangers,  too!"  said  Frank. 
"Have  only  lived  under  one  roof  for  about  two 
years." 

"Even  so,  we  have  never  spoken  to  each  other 
before." 

"That  is  not  my  fault,  I  assure  you." 

At  this  moment  the  rain  fell  in  torrents,  and 
Frank  quickly  drew  his  companion  into  a  doorway, 
saying: 

"We  had  better  wait  here  a  moment  until  the 
worst  is  over;  it  will  not  be  long." 

53 


54  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

Miss  Sargent  accepted  the  situation  as  a  matter 
of  course,  and  then,  noticing  that  Frank  was  look 
ing  at  her  intently,  said: 

"A  penny  for  your  thoughts." 

"They  are  worth  more  than  that.  I  have  made  a 
discovery."  And  then,  feeling  that  he  had  said  the 
wrong  thing,  he  blushed  like  a  school  girl. 

"The  chances  are  I  can  tell  your  thoughts  with 
out  your  assistance." 

"Do  you  think  so?  Then  tell  them,  and  if  you 
are  right  I  will  own  up  to  them. ' ' 

"You  were  thinking  what  a  shame  it  was  that  you 
had  not  run  across  the  handsome  daughter  instead 
of  the  homely  one.  Now,  own  up." 

"You  are  decidedly  wrong;  in  fact,  so  far  wrong 
that  I  have  half  a  mind  to  tell  you  what  was  in  my 
mind." 

"All  right,  tell  me.    /I  can  stand  it." 

"No,  I  prefer  not  to;  you  would  think  me  bold 
on  so  short  an  acquaintance.  However,  I  shall  be 
pleased  if  the  time  should  come  when  I  feel  well 
enough  acquainted  with  you  to  tell  it." 

"You  excite  my  curiosity.     Is  it  very  bad?" 

"I  guess  not — but  the  rain  is  about  over.  Shall 
we  go?" 

Frank  raised  his  umbrella,  and  the  two  again 
started  out. 

"We  see  very  little  of  you  at  the  house,  Miss 
Sargent." 

"Yes,  I  keep  out  of  sight  as  much  as  possible. 
You  see,  Martha  and  I  both  have  situations,  as  we 
prefer  to  do  it  rather  than  to  assist  about  the  house, 
for  it  is  much  pleasanter  for  us,  and  mother  can 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  55 

hire  girls  that  are  of  more  assistance  to  her  than  we 
could  be." 

"You  mother  is  quite  a  business  woman.  I  have 
often  admired  her  tact." 

"I  am  glad  to  hear  you  say  so.  I  had  thought 
you  and  your  friend,  Mr.  Vaughn,  made  fun  of  her, 
especially  Mr.  Vaughn." 

"I  think  you  are  mistaken,  Miss  Sargent,  about 
Dick.  He  is  one  of  the  best  fellows  in  the  world, 
and  would  be  the  last  one  to  hurt  any  one's  feel 
ings,  although  he  does  like  to  have  a  little  fun  once 
in  a  while." 

As  they  reached  the  door  of  the  boarding-house, 
Miss  Sargent  said: 

"I  am  very  much  obliged  for  your  assistance,  and 
trust  you  may  have  better  luck  next  time." 

"So  you  do  not  believe  what  I  said?" 

"How  can  I?" 

"Will  you  let  me  prove  it?" 

"Why,  of  course,  if  you  can." 

"And  will  you  assist  me  to  prove  it?" 

"Certainly." 

"Very  well.  I  have  two  tickets  for  the  lecture  at 
Music  Hall  for  this  evening,  and  shall  expect  you 
to  go  with  me.  I  will  call  for  you  at  the  parlor  at 
twenty  minutes  of  eight,"  and  without  waiting  for 
a  reply,  Frank  bounded  up  stairs.  He  burst  into 
the  room  with  a  rush,  and  came  near  overturning 
Dick  before  he  got  proper  control  of  himself." 

"Well,  well,  well!  are  the  police  after  you,  or 
has  some  old  aunt  died  and  left  you  her  wardrobe, 
that  you  are  turning  everything  upside  down?" 

"Nothing  of  the  sort,  Dick.     I  just  hurried  up  to 


56 

tell  you  that  you  need  not  go  to  the  lecture  with  me 
to-night  if  you  do  not  want  to." 

"I  needn't  go  to  the  lecture!  Didn't  I  pay  for 
one  of  those  tickets,  and  didn't  I  buy  it  because  you 
insisted  that  I  should  go?  What  is  the  meaning  of 
all  this,  anyway?" 

"It  only  means  that  I  have  asked  some  one  else 
to  go  in  your  place,  and  if  she  accepts,  I  will  buy 
the  other  ticket  and  you  can  deny  yourself  a  little 
just  for  this  once." 

"Out  with  it,  Frank.  Who  is  the  fortunate  being, 
and  why  have  you  kept  her  hidden  so  long?" 

Frank  then  told  the  story  of  the  umbrella  and  all 
that  was  said  during  the  trip,  and  then  waited  for 
Dick  to  speak. 

"So  I  am  to  lose  you  to  the  homely  daiighter,  am 
I?  Well,  it's  all  right.  I  will  be  safe  in  not  chang 
ing  my  clothes  to  go,  for  she  will  be  in  the  par 
lor." 

"What  makes  you  think  so?" 

"For  two  reasons:  first,  she  is  a  sensible  girl; 
and  next,  she  cannot  very  well  refuse  on  account  of 
the  way  you  asked  her.  I  am  glad  it  isn't  the  hand 
some  one.  Olive  is  worth  a  dozen  of  her." 

"I  am  glad  you  think  so,  for  that  has  always  been 
my  opinion.  Do  you  think  she  is  very  plain  look 
ing?" 

"I  would  never  have  thought  it  if  I  had  not  been 
told  so.  She  has  good  features  and  a  fine  figure. 
It  is  true  her  hair  is  red,  and  she  has  a  sprinkling  of 
freckles,  but  she  will  pass  in  a  crowd,  and  has  more 
sense  in  a  minute  than  her  sister  ever  thought  of." 

At  twenty  minutes  of  eight  Frank  presented  him- 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  57 

self  at  the  parlor  door,  and  in  a  moment  Miss  Olive 
appeared  also.  She  seemed  a  little  confused,  and 
said: 

"I  hope  I  am  not  doing  the  wrong  thing,  Mr. 
Bardwell.  It  is  so  hard  fcr  me  to  know  what  to 
do.  It  may  seem  strange  to  you,  but  I  have  no  one 
to  ask  or  no  one  whom  I  feel  I  can  ask  and  receive 
an  answer  that  comes  from  any  particular  interest 
taken  in  me." 

"I  think  I  can  understand  it  all,  Mips  Snrgent. 
You  mother  is  bound  up  body  and  soul  in  Miss 
Martha,  and  for  certain  reasons  you  have  not  made 
any  acquaintances  in  the  house.  I  will  venture, 
however,  that  you  have  lady  friends  outside  of  the 
house  with  whom  you  are  a  favorite.  Am  I  right?" 

"Perhaps  so,  but  no  one  ever  seemed  to  read  me 
befcre  as  you  have." 

While  the  conversation  was  going  on  they  were 
walking  toward  Music  Hall.  The  lecture  was  good, 
and  both  Frank  and  Olive  enjoyed  it.  The  fact 
that  Frank  was  taking  out  his  first  Boston  girl 
seemed  to  lend  dignity  to  the  young  man's  bearing-, 
but  Olive  seemed  to  have  less  confidence  in  herself. 
She  would  have  felt  much  better  could  she  have 
fathomed  Frank's  mind  and  really  found  out 
whether  he  had  asked  her  out  of  pity  or  because  he 
found  her  the  least  bit  interesting. 

When  Frank  told  her  that  he  would  expect  to  find 
her  in  the  parlor  at  twenty  minutes  of  eight,  she 
hurried  up  to  her  room.  There  she  found  her  sis 
ters,  Martha  and  Belle,  and  also  her  muther. 

"I  am  glad  you  have  come  at  last,"  said  Martha. 
"I  want  you  to  fix  my  hat  as  I  tuld  you  this  morn- 


58  RICHARD    VAUGHN 

ing.  I  am  going  out  to-night  and  want  to  look  my 
best." 

"You  always  look  well,  Martha,"  said  her 
mother.  "There  is  never  much  chance  for  im 
provement.  Isn't  that  so,  Olive?" 

"Yes,  mother,  Martha  always  looks  her  part,  the 
handsome  daughter,  and  I  will  fix  the  hat  at  once, 
for  I  have  an  invitation  out  myself  this  evening. ' ' 

"Is  it  another  hen  party?"  said  fourteen-year-old 
Belle,  remembering  that  Martha  had  said  that  Olive 
only  went  out  evenings  with  a  lot  of  old  maids. 

"Well,  not  exactly,  my  smart  little  sister,  but  I 
have  an  invitation  to  go  to  Music  Hall  with  Mr. 
Frank  Bardwell,  and  expect  to  go  unless  our  mother 
knows  of  some  reason  why  I  should  not." 

"Oh,  go  by  all  means,  Olive,"  said  her  mother, 
"for  the  good  Lord  knows  it  is  not  often  that  you 
get  a  chance;  but  don't  take  it  too  much  to  heart  if 
you  find  that  Mr.  Bardwell  asked  you  so  as  to  have 
a  chance  to  get  acquainted  with  your  more  prepos 
sessing  sister." 

"Don't  worry,  mother,  I  will  not  allow  my  affec 
tions  to  receive  a  set-back,  for  I  shall  never  fall  in 
love  with  any  one  unless  I  know  I  am  or  will  be 
loved  in  return." 

"I'll  tell  you  what  to  do,  Olive.  You  wait  until 
Martha  is 'married  and  I  am  off  to  Europe  studying 
music,  and  then  you  will  stand  a  better  chance." 

"Thanks,  little  one;  I  will  think  it  over.  But 
tell  me,  mother,  is  it  not  possible  that  Mr.  Bardwell 
has  asked  me  to  go  to  this  lecture  just  for  the  sake 
of  having  company,  and  not  because  he  has  serious 
designs  on  any  of  your  daughters?" 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  59 

"I  am  sure  I  don't  know,  daughter,  but  young 
men  are  not  what  they  used  to  be,  and  it  seems  to 
me  that  none  of  them  put  themselves  out  for  any 
one  unless  there  is  a  selfish  motive  back  of  it." 

"Perhaps  you  are  right,  mother,  but  I  am  inclined 
to  think  that  human  nature  is  much  the  same  now 
as  it  was  thirty  years  ago." 

Olive  finished  trimming  Martha's  hat,  went  down 
and  ate  a  hasty  supper,  and  helped  her  handsome 
sister  to  dress ;  then  dressed  herself,  and  was  only 
a  moment  late  in  keeping  her  appointment  with 
Frank. 

Music  Hall  was  quite  well  filled.  The  lecture 
was  not  only  instructive,  but  was  entertaining,  and 
was  thoroughly  enjoyed  by  both  Frank  and  Olive. 
As  they  walked  home  they  talked  the  lecture  over, 
and  found  they  agreed  on  almost  every  point. 
Frank  clearly  enjoyed  every  moment  of  his  evening, 
and  as  for  Olive,  she  owned  to  herself  that  a  more 
interesting  evening  she  had  never  experienced. 
Occasionally  her  mother's  words  would  come  to  her 
and  hurt  a  little,  but  as  Frank  said  nothing  about 
any  other  member  of  her  family,  she  tried  to  throw 
off  the  feeling  and  make  herself  think  that,  if  not 
now,  some  time  some  one  would  want  to  be  near 
her  for  herself  alone. 

The  next  morning,  as  mother  and  daughter  met, 
the  mother  said: 

"What  did  Mr.  Bard  well  say  about  Martha, 
daughter?  "  And  Olive  answered: 

"Surprising  as  it  may  appear,  mother,  he  never 
mentioned  her  name." 

Mrs.  Sargent  looked  her  astonishment.     It  was 


60  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

beyond  her  that  any  one  should  ever  meet  any 
member  of  her  family  and  not  spend  the  most  of 
the  time  talking  about  her  handsome  daughter. 

Frank  had  found  his  evening  at  the  lecture  so 
pleasant  that  he  made  it  a  point  to  go  somewhere 
with  Olive  one  evening  each  week.  He  would 
either  get  tickets  for  the  theater  or  a  lecture,  or  if 
there  was  nothing  that  he  thought  she  wjuld  Kke, 
he  would  invite  her  to  visit  some  of  his  friends. 
There  was  no  love-making  with  these  evenings  out, 
but  there  grew  up  between  the  two  a  mutual, 
unspoken  understanding  that  they  wanted  to  be 
together  at  least  as  often  as  once  a  week  for  an 
evening. 

Frank  was  somewhat  methodical  in  everything 
that  he  did,  and  one  thing  had  troubled  him  since 
he  first  commenced  to  take  Olive  out.  Dick  and  he 
had  their  evenings  pretty  well  taken  up,  and  it 
bothered  him  sometimes  to  hold  out  an  evening  for 
Olive.  At  last  he  decided  what  should  be  done,  and 
one  evening  made  Olive  a  proposition  as  follows: 

"Miss  Olive,  I  have  been  thinking  that  it  might 
be  more  convenient  for  both  of  us  if  we  would  set 
aside  some  one  evening  in  the  week  when  we  could 
be  together.  As  it  is,  Dick  almost  makes  me  skip 
you  sometimes,  and  I  should  feel  as  though  I  had 
lost  something  if  such  a  thing  should  happen.  So, 
if  you  are  willing,  we  will  decide  on  Thursday  even 
ing,  and  we  will  spend  that  evening  together,  either 
at  some  entertainment  or  at  home.  What  do  you 
say?" 

"I  say  that  it  is  the  strangest  idea  I  ever  heard 
of,  but  I  do  not  see  anything  against  it  and  will 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  61 

agree  to  it,  provided  both  of  us  have  the  privilege 
of  breaking  it  any  time  we  see  fit  to  do  so." 

"That  is  all  right,  but  I  suggest  that  if  broken 
once  it  is  to  stay  broken,  unless  the  one  breaking  it 
can  give  satisfactory  reasons  to  the  other  for  so 
doing."  And  this  was  the  methodical  scheme  they 
decided  upon. 

They  would  generally  meet  on  Sunday  and  decide 
whether  they  would  go  anywhere  the  next  Thurs 
day  evening,  and  in  case  they  did  not  see  each  other 
Sunday,  or  Olive  did  not  hear  from  Frank  before 
Thursday  evening,  she  was  sure  to  find  him  in  the 
parlor  at  seven  thirty,  and  generally  with  some  sur 
prise  in  the  way  of  an  evening's  entertainment. 

Perhaps  the  greatest  surprise  that  came  to  Olive 
was  on  one  Thursday  evening  after  this  arrange 
ment  had  been  in  force  for  some  time.  Frank  had 
sent  word  to  her  that  he  had  tickets  for  the  theater, 
and  as  the  play  was  one  that  Olive  had  expressed  a 
wish  to  see,  she  was  anticipating  an  exceptionally 
pleasant  evening.  She  was  waiting  in  the  parlor  at 
twenty  minutes  of  eight,  all  ready  to  go,  when  Dick 
Vaughn  stepped  into  the  room  and,  with  a  very 
solemn  face,  bade  her  good  evening  and  handed  her 
a  letter.  Olive  was  a  self-possessed  girl,  but  it  took 
all  of  her  self-possession  to  control  her  feelings,  for 
she  felt  sure  something  was  wrong.  Trembling  a 
little,  she  tore  open  the  letter  and  read : 

"My  Dear  Miss  Sargent:  Business  of  importance 
keeps  me  from  you  this  evening,  but  I  do  not  want 
you  to  lose  your  evening  at  the  theater;  neither  do 
I  want  to  break  my  agreement  with  you  about 
Thursday  evening,  so  I  send  my  proxy,  Mr.  Richard 


62  RICHARD  VAUGHN 

Vaughn,  who  will  escort  you  to  the  theater  and  do 
his  best  to  make  the  evening  pass  pleasantly.  Hop 
ing  you  will  enjoy  the  play  as  much  as  you  antici 
pate,  I  remain,  'Yours  very  truly, 

"FRANK." 

Olive  stood  up  while  she  read  the  letter,  but 
she  sat  down  to  think  when  she  had  finished  it,  and 
as  she  did  so  drew  a  long  breath.  Dick  said  to  him 
self:  "So  that's  the  way  the  wind  blows,  is  it?  She 
is  in  love  with  Frank,  and  the  chances  are  he  is  in 
love  with  her,  and  neither  of  them  knows  what  ails 
them.  But  this  won't  do;  I  will  have  trouble  if  I 
don't  break  the  spell." 

Walking  over  to  her,  he  said:  "The  letter  says  I 
am  to  take  Frank's  place,  doesn't  it?  That  is  what 
he  told  me,  so  you  had  better  come  at  once  or  we 
will  be  late,  and  I  very  much  want  to  see  the  first 
of  the  play." 

Dick  kept  up  a  running  fire  of  this  kind  until  he 
got  her  started,  and  then  talked  of  everything  he 
could  think  of  until  they  reached  the  theater.  The 
curtain  was  run  up  as  they  took  their  seats,  and,  as 
the  play  was  grand,  Olive  was  soon  interested  in  it, 
but  it  was  easy  to  see  that  she  was  not  enjoying 
herself  as  she  might.  Dick  noticed  it,  and  did  his 
best  to  keep  her  thoughts  from  the  peculiar  situa 
tion  in  which  they  had  been  placed.  When  the  play 
was  over  Dick  invited  her  to  have  a  lunch,  but  she 
refused  in  a  most  decided  manner.  As  they  walked 
home  Olive  was  very  quiet,  and  Dick,  for  the  first 
time  in  his  life,  was  at  a  loss  to  know  what  to  say. 
At  last  he  broke  out  with : 

"Miss   Sargent,   I  almost   feel   that   I   ought  to 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  63 

apologize  to  you,  and  I  want  you  to  hear  me  out 
and  take  no  offense  at  what  I  have  to  say.  When 
Frank  sent  for  me  this  afternoon  and  told  me  how 
he  was  fixed  and  what  he  wanted  me  to  do,  I 
wanted  to  come  for  two  reasons :  first,  I  wanted  to 
see  the  play;  and  next,  I  thought  it  would  be  a 
great  lark  to  be  a  proxy.  As  soon  as  I  gave  you  the 
letter  I  thought  I  had  made  a  mistake.  When  you 
finished  reading  it  and  almost  fell  into  a  chair  I 
knew  I  had.  The  fact  is,  Miss  Sargent,  you  are  in 
love  with  Frank,  and  you  never  really  found  it  out 
until  to-night.  It  had  come  on  you  so  gradually 
that  you  were  not  aware  of  it,  and  it  is  most  likely 
the  same  with  Frank.  I  would  not  be  at  all  sur 
prised  if  he  had  been  miserable  all  the  evening.  I 
hope  he  has,  at  all  events,  and  that  he  has  wakened 
up  to  facts  as  you  have.  I  have  told  you  some 
truths,  but  don't  think  that  I  shall  tell  them  to  any 
one  else.  Not  even  to  Frank  will  I  mention  it,  so 
don't  worry  on  that  score." 

Dick  stopped  talking.  After  two  or  three  futile 
attempts,  Olive  managed  to  say,  "Thank  you." 

At  the  corner  of  Chamber  and  Green  streets,  only 
a  few  doers  from  Mrs.  Sargent's  boarding-house, 
they  found  Frank  waiting  for  them,  and  Dick,  to 
give  Olive  a  chance  to  compose  herself,  commenced 
to  tell  him  what  a  fine  play  it  was  and  what  a  charm 
ing  time  they  had  had.  He  talked  until  they 
reached  the  door,  and  then,  thinking  it  was  the  best 
thing  to  do,  bade  them  both  good-night  and 
bounded  upstairs  to  his  room. 

Frank  had  said  but  little,  and  Olive  had  said 
nothing;  but  as  soon  as  Frank  got  a  look  at  her  face 


64  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

he  saw  traces  of  tears,  and  then  he  realized  how 
blind  he  had  been  before,  and  how  little  he  had 
known  of  his  own  feelings.  Olive  tried  to  speak, 
and  it  hurt  her  to  think  he  could  not  make  light  of 
the  situation.  Frank  noticed  this,  and  knowing 
that  the  front  hall  of  Mrs.  Sargent's  boarding-house 
was  apt  to  be  a  stirring  place  after  the  theater,  he 
pressed  her  hand  and  said: 

"Don't  say  a  word,  Olive;  I  understand  it  all. 
Dick  has  been  the  means  of  waking  us  both  up,  and 
it's  all  right,"  And  with  this  he  left  her. 

Olive  found  her  way  to  her  own  room.  Martha  had 
not  returned,  and,  finding  herself  alone,  Olive  gave 
full  vent  to  her  feelings,  and,  throwing  herself  on 
her  bed,  cried  for  an  hour.  These  were  not  tears 
of  sorrow,  however,  and  perhaps  they  could  not  be 
called  tears  of  joy.  It  seemed  to  be  more  of  a 
breaking  away  of  a  flood  of  trials  that  had  been 
restrained  for  years.  It  was  twelve  o'clock  before 
her  cry  was  over  and  she  had  dried  her  eyes  and 
again  looked  her  natural  self.  When,  a  few  min 
utes  after,  Martha  came  in,  she  was  surprised  to 
find  her  sister  still  up.  Strange  to  say,  she  saw  no 
change  in  Olive,  but  was  so  wide-awake  herself  that 
she  was  glad  to  find  her  up  to  talk  to. 

"How  did  you  like  the  play,  Olive?  You  did  not 
seem  to  be  enjoying  yourself  as  well  as  usual,  even 
if  you  did  have  a  new  escort." 

"Oh,  I  don't  know.  The  play  was  fine,  and  I 
think,  on  the  whole,  I  have  enjoyed  this  evening 
the  best  of  any.  But  I  did  not  see  you." 

"That's  just  the  difference  between  us;  I  see 
everything,  and  you  see  nothing;  but  I  am  glad 


RICHARD  VAUGHN  65 

you  have  changed  off  from  Mr.  Bardwell  to  Mr. 
Vaughn.  I  think  Bardwell  is  an  awfully  stupid  fel 
low,  and  Dick  Vaughn  is  as  sharp  as  a  tack.  If  he 
had  money  I  would  toss  him  a  few  smiles  myself." 
And  Miss  Martha  retired  with  the  firm  belief  that 
she  could  see  everything. 


CHAPTER  VI 

The  love  affairs  of  the  homely  daughter  pro 
gressed  evenly  after  the  affair  recorded  in  the  last 
chapter.  Frank  lost  caste  with  Mrs.  Sargent  on 
account  of  his  preference,  and  Miss  Martha  when 
she  took  time  to  think  of  it,  felt  a  little  hurt. 
Belle,  who  was  now  nearing  fifteen,  seemed  to  look 
upon  him  as  a  sort  of  freak  who  either  had  defect 
ive  eyesight  or  was  a  little  light  in  the  upper  story. 
Olive  had  only  recently  found  out  that  she  might 
make  a  good  appearance  if  she  would  put  some  of 
the  money  into  her  own  wardrobe  which  she  had 
been  in  the  habit  of  using  to  help  out  her  younger 
sisters.  For  the  first  time  in  her  life  she  was  happy. 
She  had  her  young  lady  friends  away  from  home, 
and  she  could  always  depend  on  Frank.  They  sel 
dom  talked  of  themselves,  and  still  they  always 
found  plenty  to  talk  of.  They  attended  lectures 
and  theaters,  and  this  alone  gave  them  subject  for 
conversation;  unknowingly  they  were  improving 
their  minds,  but  knowingly  they  were  having  a 
very  pleasant  time.  There  had  been  but  very  little 
talk  of  love  between  them,  but  there  was  a  mutual 
feeling  that  was  thoroughly  understood. 

One  evening  several  months  after  the  episode  of 
the  proxy  at  the  theater,  Frank  was  surprised  to 
find  that  his  friend  Dick  was  not  at  his  accustomed 
place  at  the  supper  table.  It  was  Thursday  even 
ing,  and  Frank  and  Olive  had  planned  to  attend  the 

66 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  67 

theater.  Frank  decided  that  Dick  had  received  an 
invitation  out,  and  that  he  could  find  him  in  his 
room  when  he  came  home  from  the  play.  As 
Frank  entered  his  room  after  he  had  bade  Miss 
Olive  good-night,  he  was  doomed  to  another  disap 
pointment — Dick  had  not  returned.  It  was  some 
thing  that  had  never  happened  before,  and  yet 
Frank  argued:  "Dick  is  of  age,  and  has  a'right  to 
go  and  come  as  he  pleases.  I  will  think  no  more 
about  it."  With  this  determination  he  retired,  and 
was  soon  asleep. 

The  next  morning  at  breakfast  the  mysterious  dis 
appearance  of  Dick  was  solved.  As  Frank  came 
into  the  dining-room  Mrs.  Harley  Bean  had  just 
finished  reading  aloud  an  article  in  the  paper,  over 
which  all  the  boarders  present  were  exclaiming. 
She  passed  the  paper  to  Frank,  and  this  is  what  he 
read: 

"BANK    ROBBERY! 

"The  Metro  Bank  is  Robbed  of  Several  Thousand 
Dollars.     Richard  Vaughn,  a  Trusted  Em 
ploye,  Has  Been  Arrested. 

"Some  of  the  Money  Found  on  His  Person. 

"Several  packages  of  bills  have  been  missed  from 
time  to  time  from  the  Metro  Bank,  and  until  last 
night  the  efforts  of  the  officers  of  the  bank,  with  the 
assistance  of  some  of  the  best  detectives  in  the 
city,  have  been  futile  in  their  attempts  to  find  the 
culprit.  Just  before  closing  time  yesterday  after 
noon  a  small  package  of  bills  was  missed.  The 
bank  detective  was  notified  at  once,  and  before  any 


68  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

one  left  the  bank  a  thorough  search  was  made,  which 
resulted  in  finding  the  package  of  bills  secreted  in 
the  inner  lining  of  a  coat  that  was  hanging  in  a 
clothes-closet  and  which  belonged  to  Mr.  Richard 
Vaughn.  A  warrant  was  sworn  out  and  Mr. 
Vaughn  was  arrested  at  once.  After  denying  all 
knowledge  of  the  money,  he  refused  to  say  anything 
more  on  the  subject,  and  was  locked  up  in  the  city 
hall. 

"Mr.  Vaughn  is  about  twenty-four  years  of  age, 
and  resides  at  Mrs.  Sargent's  boarding-house  on 
Chamber  street.  No  word  has  ever  been  breathed 
against  him  before,  although  young  Mr.  Ballard, 
the  assistant  cashier,  says  he  has  had  his  suspicions 
for  some  time  that  Mr.  Vaughn  was  leading  a  fast 
life." 

As  Frank  looked  up  from  his  reading  he  found 
that  every  eye  was  watching  him.  He  felt  the 
blood  leaving  his  face  and  he  grew  faint.  He  rose 
from  the  table  and  passed  out  of  the  dining-room 
and  out  of  the  house  without  saying  a  word.  When 
once  outside  he  sought  a  quiet  restaurant  and  ate 
some  breakfast;  then  he  went  to  the  city  hall  to  see 
Dick.  Harley  Bean  was  there  before  him  and  most 
likely  it  was  lucky  that  this  was  so,  for  otherwise 
Frank  could  h.irdly  have  gotten  in  to  see  his  friend. 
Harley,  as  a  reporter,  knew  the  ropes  and  was  at 
home  wherever  there  were  policemen  or  prisoners. 
When  Frank  went  in  he  was  talking  to  Dick  through 
the  bars.  Dick's  eyes  sparkled  with  pleasure  as  he 
recognized  Frank,  and  he  said: 

"Old  Reliable  turns  up  all  right,  just  as  I 
expected.  It  is  a  good  thing  to  know  that  a  fellow 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  69 

is  not  friendless  when  the  dark  days  come.  I  was 
sure  you  two  fellows  would  stand  by  me,  but  I  don't 
know  what  good  it  will  do,  for  things  are  looking 
dark  just  now." 

"You  are  innocent,  Dick,"  said  Frank.  "That  is 
so  much  to  start  with." 

"That  is  all  very  well,  Frank,  but  innocent  men 
are  hung  once  in  a  while,  so  I  am  told,  and  that, 
you  know,  is  poor  satisfaction." 

"Don't  talk  that  way,  Dick.  You  will  have 
plenty  of  help,  and  we  will  have  you  out  of  here  as 
soon  as  we  can  find  out  what  your  bond  will  be." 

"I  am  not  so  sure  of  that,  Frank,  for  I  think  I 
know  what  you  are  thinking  of.  You  are  thinking 
of  asking  Mr.  Lemon  to  bail  me  out.  Isn't  that 
so?" 

"Yes,  of  course;  but  why  should  you  doubt  his 
willingness  to  help  you?" 

"Perhaps  I  am  too  downcast  to  think  aright,  so  I 
will  say  no  more."  Then  turning  to  Harley,  he 
said:  "I  will  accept  the  offer  of  your  friend,  Harley, 
for  I  do  not  know  who  else  would  take  my  case." 

With  this  Harley  and  Frank  left  Dick  behind  the 
bars,  and  each  went  his  own  way.  Harley  went  to 
see  Harvey  Lippman,  a  young  criminal  lawyer  with 
but  little  practice,  and  Frank  started  for  the  com 
mission  house  of  H.  U.  Lemon  &  Co. 

Mr.  Lemon  had  read  the  paper  and  guessed  the 
meaning  of  Frank's  being  late,  and  he  must  also 
have  guessed  what  Frank  was  going  to  ask  him,  for 
he  commenced  at  once  before  Frank  had  framed 
the  first  sentence.  He  put  his  hands  on  Frank's 
shoulders  and  said: 


70  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

"I  am  so  sorry  to  read  of  your  friend's  fall, 
Frank,  and  I  am  more  sorry  to  know  that  you  were 
accidentally  acquainted  with  a  man  of  that  char 
acter.  Some  people  would  discharge  you  at  once, 
but  I  know  you  had  nothing  to  do  with  it,  Frank, 
and  I  am  sure  you  knew  nothing  of  it.  All  you 
have  to  do  now  is  to  drop  his  acquaintance  alto 
gether  and  let  the  law  take  its  course." 

As  Mr.  Lemon  said  this  his  voice  trembled,  and 
there  were  tears  in  his  eyes.  To  say  that  Frank 
was  surprised  does  not  half  express  it.  He  was 
dumbfounded.  As  soon  as  he  could  collect  himself 
he  said: 

'But,  Mr.  Lemon,  Dick  has  done  no  wrong.  He 
is  the  victim  of  a  trick  or  else  this  has  been  done 
for  revenge.  I  came  as  soon  as  I  could,  for  I 
wanted  you  to  interest  yourself  enough  in  him  to 
bail  him  out  and  let  him  have  a  chance  to  dig  the 
truth  out  of  this  matter." 

"No,  no,  Frank,  you  must  not  let  your  heart  run 
away  with  your  head  in  this  matter.  Just  think 
how  foolish  your  remarks  would  seem  to  an  out 
sider.  No  one  would  play  a  trick  like  that,  and 
what  object  would  any  one  have  for  the  revenge 
you  speak  of?  No,  Frank,  drop  the  whole  thing 
and  go  to  work.  You  and  I  cannot  afford  to 
mix  up  with  this  affair  in  any  way.  It  would  not 
do  to  have  our  names  in  the  papers  in  connec 
tion  with  it."  And  with  this  Mr.  Lemon  turned 
to  his  desk. 

Frank  was  not  to  be  put  off  this  way,  and  catch 
ing  hold  of  Mr.  Lemon's  arm,  said:  "Suppose,  Mr. 
Lemon,  this  had  happened  to  one  of  your  sons; 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  7.1 

would  you  have  had  the  same  feeling  in  regard 
to  it?" 

"It  could  not  have  happened  to  a  son  of  mine, 
Frank.  They  are  both  members  of  the  church,  and 
they  could  no  more  steal  than  I  could." 

Frank  knew  that  all  help  from  Mr.  Lemon  was 
gone,  and  it  was  a  crushing  blow.  As  he  remem 
bered  what  Mr.  Lemon  said  about  the  chances  being 
that  some  men  would  have  discharged  help  for 
being  so  unfortunate  as  to  be  acquainted  with  a 
man  who  had  been  arrested,  he  thought  he  had 
better  work  cautiously. 

At  noon  he  dropped  into  a  place  to  lunch  where 
he  was  pretty  sure  to  find  Mr.  Richards,  and,  tak 
ing  a  seat  beside  him,  said:  "You  have  read  of 
Mr.  Vaughn's  misfortune,  I  presume,  Mr.  Rich 
ards?" 

"Yes,  I  read  it,  and  was  never  more  surprised  in 
my  life.  What  made  him  do  it?" 

"Mr.  Richards,  Dick  Vaughn  is  incapable  of 
wrong-doing.  He  has  been  fearfully  wronged  by 
some  one,  and  my  only  hope  is  that  in  some  way  the 
matter  may  be  cleared  up." 

"I  atn  glad  to  hear  you  say  this,  Frank,  for  I  liked 
the  young  fellow,  and  nothing  grieves  me  more  than 
to  have  a  young  man  of  my  acquaintance  go 
wrong." 

"I  am  going  to  try  and  help  Dick,  Mr.  Richards, 
even  if  I  am  obliged  to  give  up  my  position  to  do  it, 
and  1  want  you  to  advise  me.  Mr.  Lemon  has 
demanded  that  I  have  no  more  to  do  with  the  whole 
matter,  for  he  seems  to  believe  that  Dick  is  guilty. 
I  cannot  afford  to  stop  work,  but  I  must  help  my 


72  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

friend.  If  Mr.  Lemcn  should  discharge  me,  would 
you  give  me  a  position?" 

Mr.  Richards  looked  at  Frank  in  surprise  and  said : 
"No,  Frank,  I  could  not  give  you  a  position;  first, 
because  I  have  no  opening,  and  next,  because  I  do 
not  care  to  have  any  controversy  with  Mr.  Lemon, 
who  is  rather  set  in  his  way.  I  don't  think,  how 
ever,  that  he  will  discharge  you,  and  if  he  does  you 
can  rely  on  me  to  try  to  get  you  something  else 
to  do." 

"What  would  you  do  if  you  were  me;  give  up  a 
friend  whom  you  knew  was  as  true  as  steel,  or  give 
up  the  situation?  Remember,  I  am  asking  your 
advice  because  I  want  to  know  how  you  see  the 
matter  from  the  standpoint  of  a  business  man  and  a 
friend." 

Mr.  Richards  was  a  very  cautious  man,  was  a  pro 
fessed  Christian,  and  was  honest  and  earnest  in  his 
Christian  work.  He  was  not  rich,  and  most  likely 
never  would  be.  If  he  saw  the  shortcomings  of  any 
of  his  fellow  Christians,  he  did  not  allow  himself 
to  speak  of  them  or  to  dwell  upon  them.  He 
thought  awhile  after  Frank  had  finished  speaking, 
and  then  said  very  deliberately: 

"I  want  to  help  you,  Frank,  and  if  I  should  advise 
you  not  to  have  anything  more  to  do  with  your 
friend,  you  would  not  heed  it.  That  is  not  my 
inclination,  however,  for  I  feel  that  you  are  in  the 
right  in  standing  by  him.  You  go  to  Mr.  Lemon 
and  tell  him  that  you  have  decided  to  stick  to  your 
friend,  and  if  you  are  to  lose  your  situation  en 
account  of  it,  you  will  quit  right  now.  This  will 
show  you  where  he  stands  in  the  matter,  and  if  he 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  73 

lets  you  go,  you  come  back  to  me  and  we  will  see 
what  can  be  done." 

Frank  grasped  Mr.  Richards'  hand  and  shook  it 
warmly.  He  was  too  thankful  to  speak,  and  at  once 
hurried  back  to  Mr.  Lemon's  office.  As  he  came  in 
Mr.  Lemon  said:  "I  did  not  think  you  would  be 
gone  so  long  this  noon,  as  you  were  so  late  this 
morning.  Business  comes  first,  you  know,  and  I 
want  to  impress  it  upon  you  that  what  I  said  this 
morning  was  for  your  own  good  and  must  be 
adhered  to." 

This  was  too  much  for  Frank.  He  was  usually 
slow  to  anger,  but,  like  other  people  who  are  slow 
in  getting  started,  his  anger  knew  no  bounds  when 
he  was  once  waked  up.  He  was  so  mad  that  he 
fairly  trembled,  and  looking  Mr.  Lemon  square  in 
the  face,  he  said: 

"Mr.  Lemon,  you  profess  to  be  a  Christian,  a  fol 
lower  of  Christ,  who  pardoned  the  thief  on  the  cross, 
who  always  taught  love  and  never  condemned  any 
one,  but  who  had  love  and  charity  for  all ;  and  now 
you  tell  me  that  I  must  give  up  my  friendship  for  a 
man  who  is  in  trouble  through  no  fault  of  his  own, 
or  I  must  give  up  my  situation  with  you.  I  want 
to  tell  you  now  that  I  will  never  give  up  my  friend 
ship  with  Dick  Vaughn;  that  I  will  spend  every  dol 
lar  I  have  saved  to  help  him,  and  that  I  will  give 
him  all  of  my  time  if  necessary.  As  for  my  situa 
tion  here,  I  don't  want  it,  if  the  price  I  have  to  pay 
for  it  is  to  be  my  desertion  of  a  friend  in  need.  A 
religion  that  teaches  you  to  desert  your  friends 
when  they  are  in  trouble  is  a  mighty  poor  religion 
to  live  by,  and  I  should  think  it  would  be  a  poor 


74  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

one  to  die  by,  but  you  will  most  likely  kno\v  more 
of  that  by  and  by.  You  are  not  paying  me  a  large 
salary,  and  you  are  only  paying  me  what  you  do 
because  you  think  I  am  the  best  you  can  get  for  the 
money.  Now,  it  is  for  you  to  say  whether  I  go  or 
stay;  but  you  must  say  it  quick,  and  remember, 
I  am  not  going  to  desert  Dick  Vaughn,  but  will  do 
all  I  can  for  him." 

Mr.  Lemon's  face  was  a  picture, — surprise  and 
chagrin  both  depicted  on  his  countenance,  and  it 
was  some  time  before  he  could  get  enough  control 
of  himself  to  speak  in  his  usual  way. 

"Frank,  my  dear  boy,  you  misjudge  me.  What  I 
have  said  has  been  for  your  good,  but  we  must  not 
part  this  way.  You  continue  as  you  were,  and  if 
you  feel  that  your  friend  is  worthy  of  some  con 
sideration,  give  it  to  him,  but  be  cautious,  Frank,  be 
cautious.  Some  men  can  only  learn  by  experience. 
When  you  find  that  you  were  wrong  in  your  esti 
mate  of  your  friend  you  will  be  very  much  ashamed 
of  your  conversation  of  this  morning. ' ' 

"I  guess  that's  right,"  spoke  up  a  strange  voice, 
"but  how  will  you  feel  when  you  find  that  he  was 
right?  You  will  excuse  me,  gentlemen,  for  being 
an  interested  listener  to  your  little  conversation. 
The  fact  is,  I  am  a  reporter,  and  as  I  heard  that  this 
young  man  was  Mr.  Vaughn's  roommate,  I  called 
to  interview  him  in  regard  to  the  case." 

The  reporter  was  no  other  than  Harley  Bean,  but 
he  had  heard  enough  of  the  conversation  to  know 
that  it  would  be  quite  as  well  for  him  not  to  make 
it  known  to  Mr.  Lemon  that  he  was  acquainted  with 
the  boys. 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  75 

"If  you  want  to  interview  Mr.  Bardwell,  you  can 
do  it  at  his  boarding-house." 

"Thank  you,  Mr.  Lemon,  what  do  you  know  of 
the  case?"  And  Harley  took  out  his  pad  and  pencil 
and  commenced  to  write. 

"You  think  he  is  guilty,  of  course.  According  to 
your  knowledge  of  human  nature  all  men  arrested 
are  guilty."  All  this  time  Harley  was  writing  as 
fast  as  he  could  make  his  pencil  go. 

"You  of  course  think  he  should  have  a  long  sen 
tence.  The  banks  must  be  protected,  else  where 
would  our  safety  be?  You  also  think  the  State 
should  not  be  taxed  with  long  trials,  but  that  when 
a  man  has  been  caught  red-handed  like  this  one,  he 
should  be  sent  to  state's  prison  at  once.  You  are  a 
Christian,  and  of  course  are  voicing  the  sentiment 
of  the  whole  church." 

"But,  Mr.  Reporter,  I  haven't  said  a  word." 

"I  know  it,  Mr.  Lemon.  The  people  who  don't 
say  anything  are  the  easiest  to  interview;  the  inter 
view  reads  so  much  smoother.  You  have  a  son 
about  Mr.  Vaughn's  age;  therefore  you  feel  that 
you  know  what  you  are  talking  about.  Let  me  see, 
this  is  a  commission  house.  Dirty  place,  isn't  it? 
But  you  are  connected  with  a  note-shaving  shop  up 
the  street;  therefore  you  are  competent  to  talk  on 
these  bank  robbery  cases.  Thank  you,  Mr.  Lemon. 
This  will  be  a  nice  readable  interview.  Are  those 
little  bricks  of  butter  sold  for  pounds?  Look 
awfully  small,  don't  they?  Well,  perhaps  they 
make  up  for  it  in  strength.  Good  day,  Mr.  Lemon. 
Glad  to  have  met  you.  Will  come  in  again  some 
time  and  make  you  a  friendly  call." 


76  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

For  once  Mr.  H.  U.  Lemon  had  met  a  tnan  to 
whom  he  could  not  talk.  Harley  Bean  was  too 
much  for  him.  As  soon  as  Harley  had  gone  he 
recovered  enough  to  realize  in  what  a  position  he 
would  be  placed  if  any  of  the  stuff  Harley  had 
talked  over  should  be  printed.  He  ordered  Frank 
to  go  at  once  and  overtake  the  reporter  and  buy  him 
off,  if  necessary,  from  printing  anything  in  regard 
to  the  interview.  Frank  dodged  out  of  the  office, 
and,  as  he  expected,  found  Harley  waiting  at  the 
next  corner. 

"I  only  came  down  to  tell  you,"  said  Harley, 
"that  in  all  probabilities  Dick  will  be  indicted  by 
the  grand  jury  and  will  be  obliged  to  stay  in  jail 
for  about  six  weeks,  unless  we  get  him  bailed  out. 
I  am  well  acquainted  with  the  jailer  at  Charles  street, 
where  he  will  be  sent,  and  if  you  take  my  advice, 
you  will  not  try  to  get  him  bailed  out.  It  will  give 
us  a  better  chance  to  work  if  the  people  who  have 
done  this  think  he  has  no  friends.  I  can  fix  it  so 
that  his  stay  in  jail  will  net  be  very  bad. " 

"What  do  they  say  up  at  the  boarding-house?" 
said  Frank. 

"Oh,  they  are  pretty  evenly  divided,  and  it  gives 
them  something  to  talk  about.  Mrs.  Bean  waited 
until  she  found  out  which  side  I  was  on,  and  then 
took  the  other.  She  said  this  noon  that  I  was 
always  on  the  wrong  side,  and  that  if  I  were  in  jail 
myself  it  would  most  likely  be  no  more  than  I 
deserved.  'Yes,'  said  I,  'even  the  thought  is 
refreshing.  What  a  rest  I  should  have.'  But  if  she 
thought  I  wanted  to  go  there,  she  would  never  use 
her  influence  in  that  direction." 


CHAPTER    VII 

It  was  not  without  many  heartaches  that  Mabel 
Richards  left  Boston  for  the  South  without  having 
a  last  talk  with  Dick  Vaughn.  She  realized  that 
Dick  was  the  only  man  she  had  ever  met  who  had 
awakened  within  her  a  feeling  of  love.  Her  bring- 
ing-up,  however,  had  been  peculiar.  In  a  sort  of 
vague  way  she  had  the  idea  that  whatever  was 
pleasant  in  life  must  be  wrong,  and  that  to  be  near 
to  God  she  must  necessarily  be  a  long  way  from 
pleasure  or  anything  that  was  pleasing.  In  going 
South  to  teach  the  negroes  she  was  induced  to  go 
for  the  same  reason  that  some  people  are  con 
strained  to  do  penance,  and,  although  she  did  not 
feel  that  she  had  done  anything  particularly  wrong, 
she  did  have  a  feeling  that  she  was  enjoying  too 
much  of  the  good  things  of  life  and  not  sharing  the 
trials  of  others  as  she  should.  She  did  not  look  for 
ward  to  any  pleasure  in  her  work  in  the  South 
except  the  pleasure  that  should  come  from  a  self- 
imposed  duty.  She  had  never  been  away  from 
home  before  alone,  and  in  fact  all  the  trips  she  had 
ever  taken  had  been  between  her  father's  house  in 
Cambridge  and  their  summer  home  at  Martha's 
Vineyard. 

It  was  morning  when  the  train  stopped  at  the 
little  station  called  Holton,  away  down  in  Georgia, 
and  to  Mabel  Richards,  who  left  the  cars  at  that 
place,  a  new  phase  of  life  was  opening  up.  Holton 

77 


78  RICHARD    VAUGHN 

was  a  town  of  perhaps  three  thousand  souls,  and 
the  blacks  predominated.  As  Mabel  stepped  off  the 
car  and  looked  into  a  sea  of  black  faces,  she  had  a 
worried  expression,  for  she  was  a  stranger  in  a 
strange  land;  but  the  appearance  of  the  Reverend 
Mr.  Pennyworth,  whom  she  had  known  in  Cam 
bridge  and  who  came  to  the  train  to  meet  her,  drove 
away  the  look  of  care  and  brought  a  smile  of  recog 
nition  to  her  face. 

The  morning  was  full  of  surprises.  The  negroes 
looked  different  from  what  she  expected  they  would, 
and  there  were  more  of  them  than  she  had  ever 
dreamed  of  seeing.  Another  surprise  was  the  house 
to  which  she  was  taken.  It  was  a  large,  old-fash 
ioned  Southern  house  that  had  been  vacant  for  a 
long  time  before  being  taken  by  Mr.  Pennyworth  as 
a  residence  and  school.  Mrs.  Pennyworth  presided 
over  the  housekeeping  portion  of  the  place,  while 
her  husband  looked  after  the  school  and  also  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  a  little  flock  of  negroes  that  he 
had  gathered  together,  and  who  held  their  church 
services  in  one  of  the  rooms  of  the  old  house. 
There  was  one  other  assistant  in  the  school,  a  Miss 
May  Rivers,  also  from  Massachusetts.  She  was  a 
typical  old  maid, — tall  and  slim,  and  was  much 
interested  in  her  work.  Miss  Rivers  had  sprung 
from  anti-slavery  stock,  and  could  talk  on  the  sub 
ject  of  slavery  and  the  condition  of  the  negro  in  the 
South  as  long  as  she  could  get  any  one  to  listen  to 
her. 

Mabel  was  not  favorably  impressed  with  her  sur 
roundings,  but  as  she  had  decided  when  she  started 
not  to  be  turned  from  her  purpose,  she  passed  over 


RICHARD    VAUGHN  79 

these  things  lightly  and  followed  her  trunks  to  her 
room.  She  unpacked  them,  and  at  noon  was  down 
to  lunch  ready  to  assume  her  duties  as  teacher. 
She  asked  who  resided  in  some  of  the  neighboring 
houses,  and  was  surprised  to  find  that  neither  Mr. 
nor  Mrs.  Pennyworth  nor  Miss  Rivers  could  tell 
her. 

"But  don't  these  people  come  to  see  you,  and  are 
they  not  interested  in  your  work?" 

A  sad  smile  went  around  the  table,  and  Mr. 
Pennyworth  took  up  his  task  of  placing  Miss  Rich 
ards  right  in  regard  to  conditions  in  the  South. 

"Have  you  not  been  told,  Miss  Richards,  and 
have  you  not  read  time  and  again  that  the  former 
slave  owners  are  against  the  education  of  the  negro?" 

"Yes,  I  suppose  I  have  heard  and  read  of  those 
things,  but  I  did  not  think  it  could  be  possible  that 
anything  of  that  kind  was  general;  and  if  it  is,  pray 
tell  me  what  the  reason  is?" 

This  question  led  to  a  long  discourse  by  Mr. 
Pennyworth  on  conditions  in  the  South  and  the 
race  wars  that  were  threatened,  which  was  more  or 
less  Greek  to  Mabel. 

After  the  lunch  was  over  Mabel  went  at  once  to 
the  schoolroom  to  commence  her  labors.  There 
were  many  things  she  did  not  understand  both 
about  the  negro  and  his  condition,  and  she  worked 
blindly  as  far  as  conditions  went,  but  intelligently 
as  regarded  her  teaching. 

It  was  three  months  after  her  advent  into  the 
school  when,  one  afternoon,  feeling  more  fatigued 
than  usual,  she  wandered  away  from  the  house 
towards  some  woods  to  be  seen  in  the  distance. 


8o  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

She  came  to  a  little  brook,  and  a  log  by  its  side 
looked  to  be  such  a  tempting  seat  that  she  sat  down 
and  watched  the  running  water.  How  long  she  sat 
there  resting  she  did  not  know,  but  after  a  time  she 
looked  up  and  saw  a  handsome  man  in  hunting  cos 
tume  with  his  gun  in  his  hand.  "With  him  was  an 
Irish  setter,  and  both  had  approached  without  dis 
turbing  the  girl's  revery.  As  she  looked  up  the 
young  man  said: 

"Pardon  me,  Miss,  but  I  came  upon  you  acci 
dentally,  and  you  made  such  a  pretty  picture  that  I 
was  obliged  to  stop  and  admire.  Even  Snap,  my 
dog,  was  spellbound  and  never  moved  until  you  had 
broken  the  spell.  Don't  go,"  said  he,  as  Mabel 
started  up.  "I  am  Dr.  Lovelace.  You  have  heard 
of  my  father,  I  know.  I  have  seen  you  often,  and 
have  just  as  often  wanted  to  make  your  acquaint 
ance  ;  not  because  I  have  fallen  in  love  with  you, 
mind,  but  because  I  wanted  to  ask  you  a  few  ques 
tions,  and  these  questions  are  not  altogether  out  of 
idle  curiosity." 

Mabel  was  interested.  As  she  looked  at  the 
young  man  she  realized  that  she  had  before  seen  him 
and  she  had  often  thought  she  would  like  to  ask  him 
some  of  the  questions  she  had  asked  either  Mr. 
Pennyworth  or  Miss  Rivers.  Mabel  sat  down 
again  and  patted  Snap  on  the  head  as  he  came  to 
make  her  better  acquaintance,  and  then  looking  up 
to  Doctor  Lovelace,  said:  "Suppose  I  commence  by 
asking  a  few  questions  first?" 

"You  may." 

"Then,  if  you  wanted  to  make  my  acquaintance 
so  much,  why  did  you  not  call  at  the  school  with 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  81 

some  one  who  could  introduce  you?  Or  why  does 
not  your  father  call  on  us,  and  why  do  not  your  sis 
ters  take  an  interest  in  the  education  of  the  poor 
blacks?  Answer  these  and  then  I  have  a  few  more 
to  ask." 

Mabel  was  surprised  at  her  own  boldness,  but  the 
young  man  was  such  a  perfect  gentleman  in 
appearance  and  seemed  to  be  so  earnest  that  she 
was  willing  to  put  aside  propriety  and  find  out  some 
of  the  things  she  wished  to  know. 

"Your  questions  are  so  easy  to  ask  that  it  may 
seem  strange  that  they  are  not  as  easily  answered, 
and  they  could  be  answered  easily  were  it  not  that 
there  is  a  whole  lot  to  be  considered  that  led  mat 
ters  up  to  the  conditions  as  we  now  find  them.  My 
father  does  not  call  upon  you  because  he  thinks  you 
are  interfering  with  that  which  is  none  of  your 
business,  and  because  the  people  of  the  North 
whom  you  represent  have  enfranchised  the  negro 
and  put  him  before  the  law  on  equal  grounds  with 
his  former  owner.  My  sisters  agree  with  my  father 
and  so  do  I." 

"Then  why  do  you  talk  with  me?" 

"Because  I  do  not  believe  in  hearsay  testimony, 
and  I  want  to  know  why  you  come  here  to  enter 
into  this  kind  of  work.  You  are  young,  handsome 
and  refined,  and  I  want  to  understand  your  motive, 
and  I  also  wish  to  find  out  how  much  you  know 
about  the  true  state  of  affairs  in  the  South." 

"I  came  here  because  I  thought  it  was  my  duty 
to  come.  I  had  heard  of  the  ignorance  of  the 
negroes,  and  how  anxious  they  were  to  learn,  and  it 
seemed  to  me  as  though  every  one  ought  to  do 


82  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

what  he  could  to  help  them.  I  know  but  lit 
tle  about  the  conditions  in  the  South  except 
that  you  hate  both  the  negroes  and  the  Northern 
people." 

"Now  you  are  coming  to  it.  That  is  just  what  I 
expected  you  would  say,  if  you  were  honest,  and  I 
am  glad  to  find  you  are  honest,  for  you  will  be  much 
more  liable  to  have  the  courage  of  your  convictions 
if  you  get  on  the  right  track.  Now,  you  say  we 
Southern  people  hate  you  of  the  North,  and  also 
hate  the  negroes.  Let  me  tell  you  a  few  things. 
We  of  the  South  and  you  of  the  North  had  some 
differences  of  opinion.  We  seceded  and  you 
whipped  us  back  into  the  Union.  Then  when  it 
came  to  the  reconstructing  of  this  country,  you  sent 
a  lot  of  carpet-baggers  down  here  to  subject  us  to 
negro  rule.  We  fought  that  kind  of  reconstruction, 
and  now  the  carpet-bagger  is  not  so  much  in  evi 
dence  as  he  was.  If  the  people  of  the  North  had 
what  they  wanted,  the  South  to-day  would  be  ruled 
by  negroes,  assisted  by  the  renegades  from  the 
North.  We  will  not  stand  that,  and  the  better  class 
of  people  in  the  North,  if  they  could  understand  the 
conditions,  would  not  expect  it  of  us.  They  do  not 
understand  us,  and  possibly  we  do  not  understand 
them ;  therefore  there  are  strained  relations  between 
us.  But  it  is  not  right  to  say  we  hate  them;  we 
have  no  call  to  love  them,  but  hate  is  too  strong  a 
word.  Neither  do  we  hate  the  negro.  We  appre 
ciate  the  negro  more  than  do  the  people  of  the 
North,  but  we  only  appreciate  him  in  his  proper 
place." 

"If  all  this  is  true,  what  objection  can  you  have 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  83 

to  our  schools?  Is  not  the  negro  educated  better 
than  the  negro  in  ignorance?" 

"That  is  all  right  in  theory.  The  negro  of  to-day 
represents  a  race  of  people  that  has  been  in  bondage 
for  a  good  many  generations.  They  were  uncivi 
lized  tribes  of  heathen  to  begin  with,  and  it  is  the 
height  of  foolishness  to  expect  to  educate  them  in 
one  generation  and  to  bring  them  where  they  will 
be  able  to  take  positions  of  honor  and  trust.  The 
negro  is  exactly  the  same  as  the  parrot.  In  order 
to  train  one  born  in  the  wild  state,  you  must  take  it 
from  the  nest  before  it  is  able  to  fly.  The  negro  is 
indolent  and  shiftless  by  nature.  If  he  has  had  one 
good  meal  to-day,  lie  does  not  trouble  himself  about 
the  morrow.  He  is  not  to  blame  for  this,  for  he  has 
had  all  his  wants  attended  to  for  years.  The  own 
ers  of  plantations  all  about  here  have  had  no  end  of 
difficulty  during  the  past  few  years  to  get  enough 
help  to  run  their  plantations,  not  but  what  there  is 
enough  help  about,  but  they  will  not  work  as  long 
as  they  can  get  something  to  eat  without  working. 
If  you  people  would  confine  yourselves  to  teaching 
the  small  children  it  would  not  be  so  bad,  but  you 
are  wasting  your  time  on  full-grown  niggers  that 
ought  to  be  at  work  in  the  field,  and  all  that  your 
teaching  amounts  to  to  them  is  that  you  lift  them  in 
their  own  opinion  above  their  betters.  Perhaps  you 
will  not  say  again  that  we  hate  you  when  I  tell  you 
that,  on  two  occasions,  the  better  people  here  have 
headed  off  the  rowdy  element  from  burning  that  old 
shack  over  your  head." 

"Oh,  Doctor  Lovelace,  isn't  that  awful!  and  we 
never  knew  of  it.  They  must  be  ignorant  roughs." 


84  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

"Of  course  they  are.  They  are  exactly  the  same 
class  of  people  as  is  found  everywhere.  Even  your 
good  city  of  Boston  has  its  full  quota.  By  the  way, 
I  was  reading  an  interesting  article  a  few  days  ago. 
It  gave  the  number  of  people  in  the  different  cities 
of  the  North  who  could  neither  read  nor  write,  and, 
according  to  the  population,  Boston  was  third  in  the 
list.  I  have  forgotten  the  number  of  Bostonians 
who  could  neither  read  nor  write — it  was  up  in  the 
thousands — and  it  struck  me  that  a  little  teaching 
might  help  you  out  up  there." 

Mabel  looked  her  surprise,  for  she  was  being  told 
things  she  had  never  dreamed  of.  She  thought 
of  the  missionary  part  of  the  work,  and  said: 

"You  certainly  must  realize  the  good  we  are  doing 
in  bringing  these  people  to  Christ.  There  are  none 
so  low  but  that  He  can  appreciate  their  soul's  sal 
vation." 

"No  doubt  you  are  right  there.  I  have  not  paid 
much  attention  to  their  religious  teachings,  but  I 
am  inclined  to  think  that  my  rule  of  teaching  would 
work  there  also.  You  must  take  them  from  the 
nest  before  they  can  handle  themselves." 

"Not  in  all  cases,  I  think.  There  is  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Lovelace.  He  has  been  converted  only  a 
few  years,  and  you  must  own  he  is  a  faithful  Chris 
tian." 

The  doctor's  eyes  sparkled. 

"So  you  are  acquainted  with  Sam,  are  you? 
Have  you  seen  him  lately?" 

"Yes,  the  poor  man  came  to  the  house  last  night 
in  an  awful  plight.  He  had  been  down  the  road  to 
see  a  sick  friend,  and  coming  back  he  took  a  short 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  85 

cut  through  the  woods  and  fell  over  a  rock  into  a 
deep  hole  and  wrenched  his  back.  He  fairly  cried 
it  hurt  him  so,  and  as  he  begged  to  stay  all  night, 
Mr.  Pennyworth  let  him  stay." 

While  Mabel  had  been  relating  this  story  of 
preacher  Sam,  she  had  kept  her  eyes  on  the  brook 
at  her  feet,  but  as  she  finished  and  looked  up  at  the 
doctor,  she  found  him  almost  bursting  with  merri 
ment. 

"I  am  sure  I  do  not  see  anything  to  laugh  at  in 
the  poor  negro's  misfortune,"  she  said,  and  the  hot 
blood  rushed  to  her  face  as  she  rose  to  go. 

"Forgive  me,  Miss  Richards,  but  you  would  laugh 
too,  if  you  were  looking  at  the  shield  from  my  side. 
You  must  know  that  until  the  slaves  were  freed  the 
reverend  Sam  was  my  father's  property.  I  have 
known  him  always,  and  my  father  will  tell  you  that 
there  never  was  a  more  trifling  negro  than  this 
same  Sam.  Since  he  was  freed  he  never  has  done 
a  day's  work,  and  there  are  welts  on  his  back  now 
as  big  as  my  finger  that  were  put  there  by  the  old 
overseer  when  he  was  trying  to  persuade  Sam  to 
work.  When  he  was  converted  about  five  years  ago 
I  was  quite  interested.  'Now,  surely,'  thought  I, 
'he  will  go  to  work. '  But  no,  he  started  right  in  to 
preach,  and  has  preached  ever  since.  So  much  for 
Sam.  Now  let  me  tell  you  of  last  night.  I  was  out 
calling  last  night  and  came  home  about  ten  o'clock. 
To  save  a  little  distance  I  took  a  short  cut  through 
the  back  cf  our  grounds,  and,  thinking  I  heard 
something  in  the  hen-roost,  I  picked  up  a  barrel 
stave  and  cautiously  crept  into  the  place.  There  I 
beheld  the  reverend  Sam,  with  a  bag  in  one  hand 


86  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

picking  the  chickens  off  the  roost  with  the  other.  I 
wasn't  sure  it  was  he,  but  as  I  had  caught  him  at  it 
before,  I  took  it  for  granted  that  I  had  come  upon 
the  same  thief  again.  I  stepped  out  and  waited 
until  he  came  out,  and  then  I  knocked  him  down 
with  one  blow  of  my  white  oak  stave  and  did  not  let 
him  up  until  I  was  tired.  No  wonder  his  back  hurt 
him.  If  he  had  been  any  ether  than  a  good-for- 
nothing  nigger  he  would  have  died.  After  I  had 
hammered  him  to  my  heart's  content,  I  led  him  to 
the  kitchen  and  struck  a  match  to  be  sure  who  it 
was,  for  he  had  not  spoken  an  intelligible  word. 
At  first  I  told  him  I  was  going  to  call  father,  but  I 
did  that  just  to  scare  him.  Then  I  let  him  go,  and 
he  v/ent  straight  to  your  house  and  you  took  each 
other  in." 

Mabel's  face,  as  the  doctor  commenced  to  talk 
about  the  negro,  wore  a  puzzled  look.  When  he 
told  about  clubbing  the  negro  she  was  horrified,  but 
when  he  had  finished  talking  and  she  thought  the 
whole  matter  over,  the  ludicrous  side  of  it  struck 
her,  and  she  laughed  outright. 

"We  have  been  looking  everywhere  for  you." 
It  was  Miss  May  Rivers  who  spoke,  and  as  she 
looked  from  Miss  Richards  to  the  doctor,  she  did 
not  seem  to  know  what  to  make  of  it  all.  Mabel 
was  surprised  to  find  that  she  had  been  away  from 
the  house  so  long,  and  started  up  from  her  seat. 
Then,  realizing  that  she  had  not  introduced  Miss 
Rivers  and  the  doctor,  she  did  so.  The  doctor 
bowed  his  acknowledgment,  and  Miss  Rivers  sim 
pered:  "I  have  often  heard  of  you,  Doctor,  and 
wondered  why  you  did  not  call  to  see  us.  I  believe 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  87 

you  called  once  when  Mrs.  Pennyworth  was 
sick." 

"Yes,  that  was  some  time  ago,  but  I  seldom  call 
anywhere  except  in  a  professional  way." 

With  this  the  doctor  raised  his  hat,  and  bidding 
the  young  ladies  good  afternoon,  disappeared  into 
the  woods. 

"Pray,  how  did  he  come  to  speak  to  you,  and  how 
long  has  he  been  here?"  said  Miss  Rivers. 

"I  suppose  he  spoke  to  me  because  he  wanted  to, 
and  I  am  sure  I  don't  know  how  long  he  has  been 
here.  I  did  not  look  at  my  watch." 

"I  guess  he  is  a  nice  young  man,  but  I  would 
have  run  for  the  house  if  he  had  spoken  to  me  when 
I  was  alone.  I  hope  no  one  saw  you.  It  might 
make  talk,  for  you  know  these  people  are  ready  to 
pick  up  anything  they  can  against  us." 

"How  do  you  know  they  are?" 

"Oh,  I  know,  that's  all.     Everybody  knows  that." 

"Well,  perhaps  they  are,  but  I  am  going  to 
believe  hereafter  that  Southerners  are  much  the 
same  as  any  one  else." 

"The  doctor  must  have  said  something  very  sweet 
to  you." 

"No,  but  he  did  talk  sense,  and  that  is  worth 
listening  to,  no  matter  where  it  comes  from." 

No  more  was  said  until  the  house  was  reached, 
and  then  Mabel  found  out  that  she  had  done  a  very 
unwise  thing,  according  to  the  Rev.  Mr,  Penny 
worth.  However,  Mabel  retired  that  night  with 
more  to  think  about  than  she  usually  had  on  her 
mind,  and  the  thoughts  were  not  altogether  pleas 
ant.  She  had  tried  to  keep  all  thoughts  of  Dick  out 


88  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

of  her  mind  since  she  had  been  South,  but  this  night 
the  thoughts  of  Dick  came,  and  she  did  not  try  to 
drive  them  back.  She  also  thought  of  all  the  things 
the  doctor  had  told  her,  and  she  wondered  if  after 
all  Dick  were  not  more  than  half  right. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

There  were  stirring  times  at  the  boarding-house 
of  Mrs.  Sargent.  She  would  come  into  the  dining- 
room  when  the  place  was  full  of  boarders,  and,  plac 
ing  her  hands  on  her  hips  with  her  arms  akimbo, 
would  say:  "Is  it  at  all  surprising  that  I  look 
dragged  out?"  or,  "Who  would  have  thought  that  a 
man  who  boarded  in  this  house  would  ever  be 
arrested?" 

One  morning,  when  she  spoke  of  the  worry  of  the 
thing  making  her  lose  flesh,  Harley  Bean  spoke  up 
and  said: 

"That's  just  what  I  said  to  Mr.  Bard  well,  that 
you  were  growing  so  thin  of  late." 

"Do  you  think  so,  Mr.  Bean?" 

"Think  so!  why,  I  know  it.  You  are  only  a 
shadow  of  your  former  self." 

All  the  boarders  looked  up,  glancing  first  at  Mrs. 
Sargent  and  then  at  Harley.  Mrs.  Sargent  looked 
puzzled,  but  there  was  no  indication  on  Harley's 
face  to  show  that  he  was  anything  but  honest  in 
what  he  said.  Some  of  the  boarders,  however, 
could  not  repress  a  smile,  for  Mrs.  Sargent  was  a 
perfect  picture  of  health.  She  weighed  nearly  two 
hundred  pounds,  and  had  never  lost  the  color  from 
her  face  which  always  gave  her  the  look  cf  perfect 
health.  Mrs.  Bean,  coming  into  the  dining-room 
in  time  to  hear  the  latter  part  of  her  husband's 
remark,  turned  to  the  landlady  and  said: 

"How  ridiculous,  Mrs.  Sargent!  You  never 
89 


9o  RICHARD    VAUGHN 

looked  better  in  your  life.  Harley  is  always  say 
ing-  some  foolish  thing." 

Mrs.  Sargent  went  out.  A  damp  cloth  had  been 
thrown  over  the  little  fun  that  might  have  come  to 
the  front. 

Harley  Bean  and  his  wife  were  characters  at  the 
boarding-house  that  none  of  the  boarders  will  ever 
forget.  Neither  will  they  forget  how  decidedly  the 
men  .all  stood  up  for  Harley  and  how  the  "women 
condemned  him.  On  the  other  hand,  none  of  the 
gentlemen  boarders  had  any  use  for  Mrs.  Bean,  and 
all  of  the  ladies  took  her  part  when  talking  to  their 
husbands,  although  it  was  very  easy  to  see  that 
they  did  not  put  themselves  out  a  great  deal  to 
make  it  pleasant  for  her.  Harley  had  the  name  of 
being  a  hard  drinker,  but  he  hardly  deserved  it. 
The  trouble  was  no  one  could  ever  tell  whether  he 
had  been  drinking  cr  not.  Dick  used  to  say  that 
the  only  time  he  appeared  real  sober  was  when  his 
breath  smelled  of  liquor.  Mrs.  Bean,  however, 
always  claimed  that  he  had  been  drinking,  for  to 
her  he  always  acted  drunk  or  smelled  of  whisky, 
and  one  was  as  bad  as  the  other  to  her. 

Although  Dick  Vaughn's  arrest  had  stirred  up  the 
boarders  at  Mrs.  Sargent's  more  or  less,  they  soon 
dropped  back  into  their  old  ways.  Mrs.  Faxon 
made  her  regular  trips  to  all  of  the  large  stores  each 
day,  or  at  all  events  each  day  that  she  could  find 
anything  to  match.  Matching  goods  was  her 
hobby,  and  it  was  said  that  if  she  ran  out  of  pieces 
of  goods  to  match,  she  would  beg  a  scrap  of  one  of 
the  other  ladies  in  the  house  so  as  to  have  some 
thing  with  which  to  occupy  herself. 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  91 

The  only  one  in  the  house  who  never  forgot  Dick 
and  his  troubles  for  a  moment  was  Frank  Bardwell, 
and  he  could  hardly  understand  how  the  others 
could  talk  of  other  subjects.  Dick  had  been 
indicted  for  the  theft,  and  had  been  sent  to  the 
Charles  street  jail,  and  Harley  had  kept  his  word 
about  interceding  for  him  with  the  jailer.  This  had 
gone  a  long  way  toward  making  things  comfortable 
for  Dick,  and  had  been  the  means  of  cementing 
the  friendship  between  Frank  and  Harley  more 
firml}''. 

One  evening,  as  Frank  sat  in  his  room  brooding 
over  Dick's  troubles,  Harley  Bean  walked  in. 

"Well,  Frank,  what's  troubling  you  now?  You 
look  as  though  the  weight  of  the  nation  were  rest 
ing  on  your  shoulders.  You  should  not  take  this 
thing  so  much  to  heart.  The  fault  is  not  yours. ' ' 

"It  isn't  that,  Harley,  but  it  does  worry  me  when 
I  realize  how  many  friends  Dick  always  had,  and  not 
one  of  them  has  even  been  to  see  him  since  he  was 
arrested.  He  was  a  hail-fellow-well-met  with  every 
one.  He  would  lend  the  last  dollar  he  had,  and 
fellows  whom  he  has  helped  and  who  owe  him  yet 
don't  even  ask  after  him." 

"That  is  the  way  of  the  world,  my  boy;  but  you 
wrong  them  when  you  say  they  were  his  friends. 
The  word  'friend'  is  one  of  the  most  misused  words 
in  the  English  language.  Dick  had  a  lot  of 
acquaintances,  but  he  had  only  one  friend  that  I 
know  of,  and  that  is  yourself." 

"But  are  not  you  his  friend?" 

"Well,  hardly.  I  was  acquainted  with  him,  but 
if  I  had  dropped  dead  a  month  before  he  was 


9a  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

arrested,  do  you  think  either  of  you  would  be  giv 
ing  a  thought  to  me  now?" 

"I  never  thought  of  it  in  that  way." 

"Of  course  not,  and  that  is  the  trouble  with  most 
folks;  they  don't  think. " 

"But  why  have  you  taken  such  an  interest  in  this 
matter  if  you  don't  consider  yourself  a  friend  of 
Dick  and  myself?" 

"Just  for  the  same  reason  that  I  would  pick  up  a 
lame  dog  in  the  street  that  I  saw  was  in  danger  of 
being  run  over;  it  gives  me  a  little  pleasure  to  do 
it.  Men  are  selfish  beings,  and  most  of  the  good 
acts  they  perform  are  prompted  by  selfishness,  and 
lookers-on,  who  don't  think,  call  it  friendship.  Let 
me  tell  you  something,  Frank.  The  average  man 
never  has  but  two  friends  on  earth — his  mother  and 
his  wife.  That  is  to  say,  while  his  mother  lives  he 
is  pretty  sure  to  have  one  friend,  and  it  is  possible 
to  have  a  friend  in  one's  wife." 

"How  about  his  children?" 

"Children  are  friends  by  purchase  only.  As  long 
as  you  can  supply  their  every  wish  they  are  appar 
ently  your  friends,  but  did  you  ever  hear  of  more 
heartless  acts  than  are  done  by  children  to  their 
parents?" 

"Don't  you  count  your  little  girl  as  a  friend?" 

"I  wish  I  could,  Frank,  but  you  are  getting  per 
sonal.  However,  it  is  all  right;  I  led  you  on.  As 
long  as  my  wife  let  me  alone  I  managed  to  purchase 
my  child's  friendship.  When  she  got  jealous  and 
forbade  my  bringing  the  child  any  more  presents, 
I  lost  my  hold.  You  have  perhaps  noticed  that  my 
wife  is  not  at  all  gentle  in  her  remarks  about  me. 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  93 

Well,  those  things  don't  tend  to  make  the  little  one 
love  me,  and  as  I  am  something  of  a  philosopher,  I 
find  it  causes  the  least  friction  to  let  things  take 
their  own  course." 

"But  do  you  mean  to  say  that  you  are  without  a 
friend  on  earth,  Harley?" 

"I  guess  you  have  said  it,  Frank — not  a  friend  on 
eaith,  if  you  except  my  pocketbook,  which  isn't  any 
fuller  than  it  ought  to  be.  I  had  a  friend  once,  a 
dear  old  mother.  I  was  the  youngest,  and  after  all 
the  rest  had  married  and  gone,  I  was  the  pet  and 
pride  of  my  mother's  heart.  I  was  wild  and  reck 
less,  and  caused  her  much  sorrow  until  I  found  out 
by  accident  the  meaning  of  the  word  friend.  From 
that  time  on  I  never  gave  my  mother  a  moment's 
pain.  A  year  or  two  before  she  died  I  was  away 
from  home  for  a  few  months,  and  my  dear  brothers 
and  sisters  came  in  and  robbed  my  mother  of  every 
cent  she  had.  Of  course  they  did  it  legally,  after 
getting  her  to  sign  some  papers,  but  it  was  robbery 
just  the  same.  I  knew  she  did  not  have  long  to 
live,  and  I  would  not  drag  her  into  court  to  shorten 
her  days,  so  I  took  her  to  a  new  home  and  made  her 
as  comfortable  as  I  could  until  she  died,  and  when 
I  laid  her  away  in  the  grave  I  knew  I  had  seen  the 
last  of  the  only  real  friend  I  ever  had.  What  I 
should  have  done  then  was  to  have  gone  and  jumped 
overboard,  but  somehow  I  didn't  think  about  it,  and 
instead  I  got  married." 

"If  your  married  life  is  so  unhappy,  why  don't 
you  separate  and  support  your  wife  somewhere 
else?" 

"Say,  but  you  have  lots  to  learn,   Frank.     You 


94  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

don't  know  Mrs.  Rean.  She  has  been  telling  me 
for  the  past  three  weeks  that  she  was  going  to  leave 
me  and  go  back  to  her  mother,  and  just  as  often  as 
she  tells  me  that  I  beg  of  her  with  tears  in  my  eyes 
not  to  think  of  such  a  thing." 

"You  beg  of  her  not  to  go?  For  heaven's  sake, 
tell  me  why?" 

"Say,  but  you  don't  know  Mrs.  Bean  very  well, 
do  you?  I  would  like  awfully  well  to  introduce 
you."  And  with  this  Harley  sat  back  in  his  chair 
and  closed  his  eyes ;  he  seemed  to  be  day-dreaming. 
Frank  watched  him  for  a  while,  and  then,  as  his 
mind  reverted  to  Dick  and  the  part  Harley  had 
played  in  the  case,  he  said : 

"Look  here,  Harley,  are  you  going  to  stay  by  us 
until  Dick's  trial  is  over?" 

"Of  course  I  am.  What  made  you  think  any 
thing  different?" 

"Because  you  talk  so  strangely  about  friendship 
to-night  that  I  cannot  understand  why  you  should 
stay  with  us  if  there  is  no  incentive. " 

"But  there  is  an  incentive,  Frank,  and  it  is  a 
stronger  incentive  than  friendship.  To  be  plain 
about  it,  it  is  selfishness.  You  look  surprised  and 
incredulous,  but  it  is  because  you  have  not  made 
enough  study  of  these  things  to  call  them  by  their 
right  names.  I  will  tell  you  how  I  stand  in  this 
matter,  and  tell  you  in  my  own  way.  In  the  first 
place,  I  may  more  thoroughly  shatter  the  idol  that 
I  hit  a  short  time  ago,  that  idol  of  friendship.  Sup 
pose  you  should  die  to-night.  Who  would  mourn 
your  loss?  Now  stop  and  think  before  you  answer 
me.  Think  how  they  would  take  the  news  of  your 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  95 

death,  and  how  long  it  would  be  before  they  would 
stop  thinking  of  you  altogether." 

Frank  did  not  answer  for  a  few  moments,  and 
then  he  said: 

"I  guess  you  have  shattered  the  idol.  My 
thoughts  go  to  my  mother,  and  I  know  that  to  hear 
of  my  death  would  prostrate  her,  for  she  is  my 
friend;  and  I  know,  too,  that  to  her  dying  day  she 
would  think  of  me  daily,  even  as  she  does  now. 
My  father  comes  next  in  my  thoughts,  but  he  is  a 
cool,  calculating  man,  and  would  only  realize  that 
mourning  would  not  bring  me  back,  and  would  try 
not  to  keep  me  in  remembrance.  Perhaps  Dick 
comes  next.  I  am  sure  he  would  miss  me." 

"Of  course  he  would;  but  are  you  sure  that  he 
would  mourn  your  loss  most  on  account  of  losing  a 
friend?  Or  would  it  be  on  accoimt  of  the  loss  he 
would  sustain  by  not  having  a  strong  worker  outside 
the  prison  walls?" 

"That  thought  came  to  me,  Harley,  but  I  would 
not  encourage  it.  Then  I  thought  of  Mr.  Lemon, 
and  I  realized  something  of  what  you  said  when  you 
spoke  of  the  friend  by  virtue  of  purchase,  for  I  feel 
that  he  is  my  friend  only  because  he  thinks  that  I 
can  be  of  service  to  him.  But  go  on." 

"Accidentally  I  was  in  on  the  first  of  this  trouble, 
and  it  interested  me.  If  I  were  not  a  newspaper 
man  I  would  be  a  detective,  and  the  reason  I  like 
the  woik  of  a  reporter  so  well  is  because  there  is  so 
much  of  the  detective  about  it.  I  am  known  to 
every  detective  in  the  town,  and  every  one  of  them 
knows  that  I  am  ready  at  any  time  to  join  him  in 
any  kind  of  a  search  that  has  a  bit  of  danger  or 


96  RICHARD  VAUGHN 

mystery  about  it.  I  help  them,  and  I  get  many  a 
scoop  by  being  on  the  inside.  There  is  another 
point  that  interests  me:  I  am  a  lover  of  justice. 
Dick  is  innocent  of  any  wrong-doing,  and  there  is 
some  one  in  this  trouble  who  is  decidedly  a  villain. 
I  would  take  pleasure  in  seeing  the  innocent  man 
cleared  and  the  guilty  one  punished.  There  you 
see  again  where  the  selfishness  creeps  in.  I  have 
an  acquaintance  who  has  done  me  some  favors  and 
whose  good  opinion  I  want  to  keep.  He  is  a  very 
bright  lawyer,  and  I  induced  Dick  to  give  him  the 
handling  of  the  case.  Previous  to  my  seeing  Dick 
I  had  been  to  see  the  lawyer  and  told  him  that  I  had 
a  case  for  him  which  would  bring  him  to  the  front, 
and  that  I  would  take  care  of  the  witnesses  and  the 
proofs  if  he  would  take  the  case.  Under  these  cir 
cumstances  he  was  anxious  to  take  the  case,  even  if 
he  does  not  make  a  cent  out  of  it,  and  I  have  killed 
two  birds  with  one  stone ;  for,  if  I  can  manage  to 
find  proof  to  clear  Dick  and  win  the  case  for  Lipp- 
man,  I  will  have  succeeded  in  making  two  so-called 
friends  from  whom  on  a  pinch  I  could  borrow  a 
dollar,  if  it  came  to  a  show-down.  More  selfishness, 
eh?" 

"You  are  a  strange  man,  Harley,  but  I  don't 
believe  all  of  this  springs  from  selfish  interests. 
Do  you  mean  to  say  that  what  I  am  doing  for  Dick 
is  on  account  of  a  selfish  interest  I  have  in  the 
matter?" 

"I  will  let  you  answer  that  question  yourself. 
Suppose  we  should  succeed  in  clearing  Dick. 
Wouldn't  you  just  as  soon  people  would  know  that 
you  worked  like  a  nailer  in  his  defense?  Wouldn't 


RICHARD  VAUGHN  97 

that  smile  come  back  into  your  face,  and  wouldn't 
you  dance  all  around  this  room  and  turn  the  furni 
ture  bottom-side  up  in  your  glee?  And  wouldn't  you 
enjoy  every  moment  of  the  next  six  months  because 
Dick  was  cleared?  Now,  don't  say  it  would  be  all 
for  Dick's  sake,  and  that  there  would  be  no  selfish 
ness  in  it.  What  say  you?" 

"I  say  you  are  altogether  too  mean,  and  I  am  not 
going  to  answer  you;  but  say,  I  would  turn  things 
over!" 

"I  thought  so.  A  wise  man  is  always  full  of 
policy." 

"Then  you  are  not  always  wise,  because,  for 
some  reason,  Glidden  hates  you  like  poison." 

"Does  he?  That's  strange."  But  there  was  a 
smile  on  Harley's  face  that  belied  his  words. 

"Out  with,  it,  Harley.  What  have  you  done  to 
Glidden  to  gain  his  enmity?" 

"Do  you  know,  Frank,  why  a  man  has  enemies?" 

"Perhaps  so,  and  perhaps  nut.  I  don't  know 
what  you  are  driving  at." 

"A  man  makes  enemies  because  the  other  fellow 
is  not  willing  to  let  him  have  his  own  opinion.  If 
you  will  watch  that  idea  you  will  find  I  am  right.  If 
you  have  an  enemy  on  earth  you  will  find  he  is  your 
enemy  because  you  have  an  opinion  of  your  own  and 
it  does  not  agree  with  his  opinion." 

"But  what  has  this  to  do  with  Glidden?" 

"We  fell  out  on  a  matter  cf  opinion,  and  I  did 
not  care  enough  for  his  good-will  to  change  mine. 
It  was  this  way:  One  day  I  met  Glidden  on 
Leverett  street  and  he  asked  me  in  to  take  a  glass 
of  beer;  said  he  knew  a  good  place.  We  went  in 


98  RICHARD    VAUGHN 

and  had  our  beer,  and  after  we  had  set  our  glasses 
down  he  fumbled  in  his  pockets  a  moment  and  then 
said:  'Well,  Hariey,  I  thought  I  had  some  money 
with  me,  but  I  haven't  a  cent.  I  guess  you  will 
have  to  pay  for  this  beer.'  'Oh,  I  guess  not,'  said 
I;  'you  are  acquainted  here.  You  just  fix  it.'  And 
with  that  I  walked  out.  Glidden  came  in  to  supper 
about  an  hour  afterwards  with  his  glass  eye  gone 
and  a  general  battered-up  appearance,  and  he 
hasn't  spoken  to  me  since.  All  the  trouble  hap 
pened  just  because  of  our  difference  of  opinion ;  he 
thought  I  ought  to  have  paid  for  that  beer,  and  I 
thought  he  shouldn't  have  tried  that  kind  of  a  game 
on  me.  But  then,  there  is  nothing  to  be  made  out 
of  Glidden.  He  is  a  lightweight  anyway.  Perhaps 
I  wouldn't  have  caught  on,  though,  if  I  had  not 
overheard  him  tell  of  playing  that  same  trick  on 
some  one  else.  That  glass  eye  must  have  cost  him 
all  of  three  dollars.  Pretty  expensive  beer,  wasn't 
it?"  And  Hariey  smiled  at  the  recollection. 

One  Sunday  afternoon,  soon  after  the  evening 
spent  in  Frank's  room,  Hariey  and  Frank  met  on 
the  Common  and  sat  down  to  talk  over  the  progress 
in  Dick's  case,  and  afterwards  drifted  off  to  other 
subjects. 

"Do  you  know,"  said  Hariey,  "this  used  to  be  a 
favorite  walk  of  mine,  and  now  I  generally  spend  a 
little  time  here  on  a  Sunday  afternoon.  I  like  to 
walk  down  around  the  old  graveyard  and  then  down 
along  the  Charles  street  mall  or  up  here.  I  used  to 
ask  my  wife  to  come  until  she  grew  jealous  of  one 
of  the  tombstones.  Since  then  I  have  taken  my 
walks  alone." 


RICHARD    VAUGHN  99 

"Harley,  I  don't  like  to  hear  you  talk  of  your  wife 
as  you  do,  and  to  be  honest  with  you,  I  feel  that 
you  are  more  in  the  wrong  than  she  is." 

"I  am  not  surprised  that  you  feel  that  way, 
Frank,  because  every  one  else  does,  and  sometimes 
I  feel  that  way  m3Tself,  but  when  I  try  to  make 
things  all  right  it  makes  her  more  suspicious  and 
fault-finding;  so  what  am  I  to  do?  I  am  sure  I 
don't  know,  so  if  you  please  we  will  drop  the  sub 
ject.  There,  you  see  my  good  resolutions  are  gone 
again.  Do  you  see  that  old  lady,  Frank,  walking 
up  by  the  fence,  the  one  that  stoops  a  little  and 
walks  slowly?  What  would  you  think  if  I  should 
tell  you  that  that  old  woman  is  no  other  than 
Mrs.  Harley  Bean  in  disguise?" 

"Harley,  you  talk  like  a  fool." 

"I  know  it,  Frank,  but  a  man  may  talk  like  a 
Frenchman  and  still  be  an  American." 

The  old  lady  was  drawing  nearer  in  a  roundabout 
way  without  seeming  to  pay  any  attention  to  the 
two  men.  Frank  watched  her,  feeling  that  Harley 
was  the  most  suspicious,  unreasonable  man  he  had 
ever  known.  The  woman  drew  nearer.  There 
were  many  strollers,  and  she  evidently  did  not 
realize  that  Frank's  eye  was  upon  her.  Two  women 
of  the  town  were  about  to  pass  in  front  of  where 
the  two  men  were  sitting.  As  they  came  abreast 
of  them,  Harley,  rose,  took  off  his  hat  and  said  very 
pleasantly:  "Good  afternoon,  ladies,  we  were  wait 
ing  for  you." 

The  women  stopped,  and  one  of  them  laughingly 
commenced  to  say  something  about  guessing  they 
hadn't  been  waiting  long,  when  the  old  lady  sud- 


ioo  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

denly  stood  before  them.  She  took  off  her  cape, 
threw  back  her  hood,  and  addressing  Harley,  said, 
almost  in  a  scream:  "So  I  have  caught  you  at  last, 
have  I?"  She  turned  to  have  it  out  with  the  girls, 
but  they  were  flying  down  the  path. 

Frank  felt  that  his  turn  would  come  next,  and  he 
at  once  lost  himself  in  the  fast-gathering  crowd. 
Mrs.  Bean  worked  herself  into  hysterics  in  less  time 
than  it  takes  to  tell  it,  and,  a  policeman  coming  up, 
called  a  carriage  at  Harley's  request;  and  the  epi 
sode  ended  as  far  as  the  public  was  concerned. 


CHAPTER    IX 

The  next  day  after  the  events  recorded  in  the  last 
chapter  there  was  another  sensation  at  the  board 
ing-house.  Mrs.  Harley  Bean  had  decided  to  leave 
her  husband.  Harley  had  taken  himself  off  early 
in  the  morning  as  usual,  and  Mrs.  Bean,  knowing 
that  she  would  have  the  whole  day  to  herself,  com 
menced  early  to  tell  her  troubles  so  that  she  would 
enjoy  one  whole  day  of  sympathy  before  she  left 
the  city.  She  had  decided  to  return  to  her  father's 
home  in  Lynn  and  leave  Harley  to  his  own  destruc 
tion. 

Meeting  Olive  in  the  dining-room,  she  begged  the 
privilege  of  a  few  moments'  conversation  with  her, 
and  when  they  found  themselves  alone  she  said : 
"Olive,  you  will  most  likely  be  surprised  at  what  I 
have  to  tell  you,  but  I  say  what  I  do  for  your  own 
good.  Frank  Bardwell  is  unworthy  of  you  and  you 
should  not  only  dismiss  him  and  decline  all  further 
attentions  from  him,  but  you  should  ask  your 
mother  to  request  him  to  go  somewhere  else  to 
board."  Then  she  told  of  the  scene  in  the  Com 
mon,  making  it  appear  as  though  the  two  men  were 
there  for  the  purpose  of  flirting  with  servant  girls 
or  whoever  else  they  might  happen  to  meet. 

"You  see,  Olive,"  she  added,  "I  am  saying  this 
for  your  own  good,  for  I  do  not  want  you  to  suffer 
as  I  am  suffering  now.  I  begin  to  think  there  are 
no  good  men.  Some  may  be  worse  than  others, 
but  I  hardly  think  there  are  any  good  ones.  Just 


io2  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

think  of  Mr.  Vaughn,  of  whom  all  the  boarders 
thought  so  much.  See  how  he  turned  out,  and  Mr. 
Bardwell  was  his  roommate  and  no  doubt  helped 
spend  the  money.  I  always  wondered  how  he  was 
able  to  take  you  around  so  much." 

"Stop,  Mrs.  Bean.  I  am  surprised  at  you,  and  I 
will  not  listen  to  another  word."  And  with  this 
Miss  Olive  quickly  left  the  room,  much  to  the  won 
derment  of  Mrs.  Bean. 

The  next  of  the  boarders  Mrs.  Bean  ran  across 
was  Mrs.  Faxon. 

"Oh,"  said  Mrs.  Bean,  "what  do  you  think?" 
And  in  a  moment  she  had  gone  over  all  she  had  said 
to  Olive  Sargent,  particularly  putting  to  the  front 
her  condemnation  of  all  men.  The  two  ladies  had 
met  in  the  hallway,  Mrs.  Faxon  having  just  started 
on  one  of  her  matching  tours.  While  Mrs.  Bean 
was  talking  Mrs.  Faxon  tried  several  times  to  pass 
her  and  get  out  of  the  front  door,  but  Mrs.  Bean 
was  too  much  of  a  general  to  allow  this;  besides  she 
thought  Mrs.  Faxon  was  a  good  subject  on  which 
to  work  the  sympathy  idea. 

Mrs.  Bean  was  not  much  of  a  student  of  human 
nature.  If  she  had  been  she  would  not  have  wasted 
any  time  on  Mrs.  Faxon,  but  she  had  misjudged 
her  because  Mrs.  Faxon  was  always  such  a  good 
listener  and  said  but  little  in  the  general  conversa 
tion  in  the  dining-room.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Faxon  were 
an  ideal  couple.  At  this  time  Mr.  Faxon  was  about 
fifty-five  years  of  age  and  his  wife  could  not  have 
been  much  younger.  They  had  raised  a  family 
of  boys,  all  of  whom  were  old  enough  to  take 
care  of  themselves,  except  the  youngest,  who  was 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  103 

boarding  with  his  parents.  The}"  had  given  up 
housekeeping  some  time  before  this,  for  no  other 
reason  than  to  put  the  older  boys  on  their  own 
resources.  This  Mrs.  Faxon  would  never  have 
agreed  to  had  not  John,  her  husband,  put  his  foot 
down,  and  what  John  said  was  law  to  the  sweet- 
faced  little  Mrs.  Faxon.  She  implicitly  believed 
every  word  John  told  her,  and  she  quoted  John  the 
husband  as  religiously  as  some  people  quote  John 
the  A  pestle;  and  let  it  be  said  for  John  that  his 
word  was  taken  equally  as  well  by  all  of  his 
acquaintances  as  it  was  by  his  wife.  They  were 
a  handsome  couple,  and  when  Mr.  Faxon  was  away 
from  his  business,  he  was  pretty  sure  to  be  found 
with  his  wife.  To  see  these  two  together  would 
have  driven  the  pessimistic  writer  on  "Is  Marriage 
a  Failure?"  into  some  other  line  of  literature  or  out 
of  it  altogether.  They  were  simply  lovers,  and  had 
been  for  over  thirty  years.  Some  one  had  once 
asked  Mrs.  Faxon  to  give  her  receipt  for  a  happy 
married  life.  It  was  after  the  gentlemen  had  all 
left  the  breakfast  table,  but  most  of  the  ladies  were 
present. 

"Receipt?"  said  Mrs.  Faxon.  "Oh,  how  funny! 
Why,  you  see,  there  isn't  any  receipt.  I  just  mar 
ried  John ;  we  love  each  other,  and  that  is  all  there 
is  to  it." 

"But  there  must  be  some  reason  why  your  lives 
have  run  in  such  smooth  lines,"  said  Mrs.  Glidden. 

"That  reminds  me,"  said  Mrs.  Faxon,  "of  the 
advice  that  John  gave  our  oldest  boy  when  he  was 
married.  You  know  his  name  is  John,  too,  and 
you  have  all  seen  him  and  his  sweet  little  wife. 


io4  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

Well,  after  the  wedding  and  when  the  young  people 
had  come  back  from  their  trip  to  New  York,  my 
son  said  to  his  father:  'Father,  we  have  been  talk 
ing  it  over  and  have  decided  to  ask  your  advice. 
We  want  our  lives  to  be  the  same  as  yours  and 
mother's  have  been.'  John  looked  at  them  a 
moment  and  the  tears  came  to  his  eyes  as  he  said: 
'If  you  will  be  as  considerate  of  each  other  as  you 
have  been  up  to  this  time,  all  petty  trouble  will  keep 
out  of  your  path,  and  it  is  the  little  troubles  that 
make  life  unbearable.  Never  forget  that  you  are 
lovers. '  And  dear  old  John  came  over  where  I  was 
sitting  and  kissed  me  and  then  left  the  room.  I 
don't  know  why,  but  none  of  us  cared  to  speak  for 
the  next  ten  minutes,  and  when  we  did  commence 
we  spoke  low,  for  we  all  felt  that  the  message  we 
had  heard  from  John's  lips  was  a  sacred  one." 

This  was  the  woman  whom  Mrs.  Bean  was  trying 
to  tell  what  awful  creatures  men  were.  When  Mrs. 
Faxon  felt  that  she  could  stand  it  no  longer  she  said, 
holding  up  a  few  samples,  "Really,  Mrs.  Bean,  I 
can't  listen  to  you  any  longer  this  morning.  I  want 
to  get  down  to  Winter  street  early,  for  I  fear  these 
goods  will  all  be  gone,  and  you  know  John  would 
be  so  worried  if  I  were  not  home  in  time  for  din 
ner. " 

Mrs.  Bean  was  disgusted.  As  Mrs.  Faxon  went 
out  the  front  door  Mrs.  Sargent  opened  the  door 
from  the  dining-room  into  the  hall,  and  Mrs. 
Bean  at  once  commenced  to  tell  her  tale  of  woe  to 
her. 

"What  do  you  want  me  to  say,  Mrs.  Bean?" 

"Oh,"  said  Mrs.  Bean,  commencing  to  cry,  "no 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  105 

one  will  listen  to  me,  and  1  want  some  one  to 
advise  me." 

"You  don't  want  anything  of  the  kind,  Mrs.  Bean, 
because  your  mind  is  made  up  already.  Don't  talk 
and  cry  and  ask  advice.  What  you  want  to  do  is  to 
act.  There  is  just  one  of  two  things  for  you  to  do: 
one  is  to  leave  your  husband  and  go  home  to  37our 
father,  and  the  other  is  to  stay  where  you  are  and 
make  the  best  of  it.  If  you  have  decided  to  go  you 
had  better  pack  your  trunk,  and  if  you  have  decided 
to  stay,  which  I  presume  you  have,  if  you  will  do 
less  talking  you  will  receive  more  sympathy." 

With  this  for  a  parting  shot  Mrs.  Sargent  went 
about  her  wotk  and  Mrs.  Bean  mounted  the  stairs 
to  the  third  floor,  where  she  found  a  more  congenial 
spirit  in  the  person  of  Mrs.  Glidden,  who  had  an 
idea  that  her  own  husband  would  bear  watching. 

When  Olive  went  to  work  that  morning  she  was 
very  much  troubled.  She  was  vexed  with  Mrs. 
Bean  for  saying  anything  against  Frank,  and  she 
despised  her  for  saying  what  she  did  against  Dick 
Vaughn,  who  was  where  he  could  not  defend  him 
self,  but  what  troubled  her  most  was  the  fact  that 
she  knew  Mrs.  Bean  was  about  to  leave  her  hus 
band,  and  she  was  not  sure  what  she  ought  to  do  in 
the  matter.  She  decided,  however,  that  she  would 
let  Frank  know  about  it  at  once,  so  as  soon  as  she 
arrived  at  the  store  she  despatched  a  messenger 
with  this  note : 

"Dear  Frank:  Mrs.  Bean  is  going  to  leave  her 
husband  and  will  not  be  at  the  house  at  six  o'clock. 
I  write  you  this  because  I  don't  know  what  to  do 


106  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

about  it,  and  by  doing  this  I  shift  the  responsi 
bility  upon  you.  You  will  know  better  than  I 
whether  Mr.  Bean  should  be  notified. 

"Yours, 

"OLIVE." 

Frank  read  the  note,  and,  folding  it,  was  going  to 
put  it  into  his  pocket,  when  he  changed  his  mind, 
and,  opening  it  again,  copied  the  letter,  and  adding 
a  few  words  of  his  own  in  explanation,  sent  the  boy 
with  it  to  the  Herald  office,  where  Harley  worked. 
He  was  pretty  sure  the  boy  would  not  find  him 
there,  but  he  argued  that  Harley  would  get  the  nota 
in  time  to  see  Mrs.  Bean  before  she  went  if  he  so 
desired. 

After  the  boy  had  gone  with  the  note  Frank  again 
read  the  one  from  Olive.  It  was  the  first  note  he 
had  ever  received  from  her,  and,  as  he  looked  it 
over  and  read  it  through  again,  he  only  saw  one 
thing  in  it  and  that  was  the  confidence  that  she 
placed  in  him.  Frank  carefully  put  the  note  away 
in  his  pocket  and  went  to  work  with  a  light  heart. 

It  was  after  two  o'clock  before  he  heard  from 
Harley,  and  then  it  was  only  one  word.  Harley 
had  gotten  Frank's  note,  wrote  one  word  at  the 
bottom  and  sent  it  back.  The  word  was,  "Shake." 
Frank  looked  at  it  and  said  to  himself,  "Poor  Har 
ley,  he  has  lost  his  wife  and  child,  but  somehow  I 
pity  him  more  for  his  loneliness  than  I  do  for  his 
loss,  and  yet  I  cannot  understand  why. ' ' 

At  supper  that  night,  with  the  exception  of  the 
Bean  family,  all  were  in  their  accustomed  places. 
Almost  every  one  knew  of  the  flight  of  Mrs.  Bean, 


RICHARD  VAUGHN  107 

and  there  was  a  large  amount  of  curiosity  to  know 
how  Harley  would  take  it. 

During  the  day  Mrs.  Sargent  had  taken  two  more 
young  men  as  table  boarders,  and  seated  them  in 
the  places  formerly  occupied  by  Mrs.  Bean  and  her 
little  girl. 

Harley  came  home  a  little  late  and  went  directly 
to  the  dining-room  without  going  to  his  room — 
something,  by  the  way,  that  he  very  often  did.  He 
pretended  not  to  notice  that  every  eye  was  upon 
him  and  said  not  a  word  until  he  reached  his  place 
at  the  table.  As  he  noticed  that  the  places  formerly 
occupied  by  his  wife  and  child  were  taken  by 
strangers,  he  took  hold  of  the  back  of  his  chair  and, 
striking  an  attitude  similar  to  Joe  Jefferson's  when 
he  utters  the  same  words,  said,  in  imitation  of  Joe's 
manner  and  voice:  "And  are  we  so  soon  forgot?" 

From  the  time  Harley  came  into  the  room  until 
he  had  finished  this  little  speech  there  was  a  silence 
that  was  almost  oppressive,  but  as  the  sentence  was 
ended  and  Harley  sat  down  there  was  more  con 
fusion  than  had  been  known  in  the  room  since  the 
time  Dick  Vaughn  threatened  to  break  the  marble 
bowls.  The  men  laughed  and  the  ladies  did  their 
best  to  make  enough  noise  with  their  plates  and 
knives  and  forks  to  cover  up  the  laugh.  Harley 
ate  his  supper  without  saying  another  word,  and 
was  one  of  the  last  to  leave  the  dining-room.  As 
he  passed  out  he  found  Frank  waiting  for  him. 

"Come  up  to  my  room,  Harley."  And  Harley 
followed  without  a  word. 

Before  going  to  Frank's  room  Harley  went  to  his 
own,  which  was  on  the  same  floor,  for  his  pipe,  and 


io8  RICHARD  VAUGHN 

as  he  came  into  Frank's  room  he  had  in  his  hand  a 
letter  that  he  had  found  on  his  dresser.  He  rilled 
his  pipe  leisurely,  and  after  lighting  it,  said:  "I 
have  a  letter  here,  Frank,  that  will  undoubtedly  set 
forth  my  good  qualities  in  great  shape.  Shall  I 
read  it  to  you?" 

"Not  unless  you  want  to,  Harley.  I  don't  want 
to  pry  into  your  secrets,  neither  do  I  care  to  know 
anything  about  your  affairs  unless  you  would  be 
benefitted  in  having  me  know  them.  If  I  can  be  of 
any  service  to  you,  you  are  privileged  to  call  on 
me." 

"I  know  that,  Frank.  You  are  all  right,  and 
come  nearer  being  a  friend  to  a  fellow  than  one  out 
of  a  thousand.  I  knew  when  I  found  you  waiting 
for  me  to-night  that  you  were  there  because  you 
were  afraid  I  would  go  off  somewhere  and  get  to 
drinking,  but  you  needn't  worry  about  me.  But  let 
me  read  my  letter" — and  Harley,  without  reading 
it  over  to  himself,  commenced  at  once  to  read  aloud 
to  Frank: 

"  'Mr.  Harley  Bean:  I  can  stand  your  treatment 
no  longer,  and  when  you  read  this  I  shall  be  at 
home  with  my  parents.  You  need  not  come  after 
me  for  I  shall  never  have  anything  more  to  do  with 
you.  For  your  child's  sake,  if  not  for  your  own, 
it  seems  as  though  you  should  have  conducted  your 
self  so  as  not  to  have  brought  disgrace  on  us,  but 
it  is  useless  to  say  more. ' 

"  'MATILDA.' 

"That  isn't  so  bad  now,  is  it?  There  is  only  one 
thing  I  don't  like  about  it.  She  says  that  she  will 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  109 

never  have  anything  more  to  do  with  me,  and  she 
is  such  a  case  to  change  her  mind.  I  did  think  if 
she  ever  left  me  that  I  would  go  to  Florida  or  the 
Fiji  Islands  or  anywhere,  so  that  if  she  changed  her 
mind,  she  would  find  that  I  had  protected  myself 
against  accidents,  but  I  like  Boston,  and  think  I 
will  trust  Mrs.  Bean's  word  just  once  anyway. 
What  do  you  think,  Frank?" 

"I  don't  think,  Harley,  and  I  guess  that  as  far  as 
what  there  is  between  yourself  and  wife  is  con 
cerned,  you  will  be  obliged  to  do  your  own  thinking 
without  my  help." 

The  evening  passed  pleasantly  on  the  whole,  a.nd 
it  was  only  one  of  many  of  its  kind  that  followed. 

The  time  had  arrived  for  Dick  Vaughn's  trial, 
and  every  one  interested  in  the  case  was  at  the 
courthouse.  The  bank  had  sent  one  of  its  own  law 
yers  to  assist  the  state's  attorney,  for  it  had  decided 
that  Dick  should  be  punished  to  the  extent  of  the 
law.  The  states'  attorney  and  his  assistants,  with 
the  addition  of  the  attorney  for  the  bank,  made  a 
formidable  array  of  talent;  while  on  Dick's  side 
there  was  only  one  young  smooth-faced  lawyer,  but 
he  was  cool  and  collected  and  the  array  of  heavy 
weights  on  the  other  side  of  the  case  did  not  seem  to 
trouble  him  in  the  least.  Sitting  near  him  was 
Harley  Bean.  He  was  supposed  to  be  there  in  the 
interest  of  the  Herald,  which  was  true,  but  it  was 
also  true  that  his  greatest  interest  was  with  the 
accused  and  with  the  young  smooth-faced  lawyer. 

It  was  some  time  before  a  jury  was  impaneled;  in 
fact  the  first  day  there  were  no  witnesses  called,  but 
the  second  morning  all  was  in  readiness  for  the 


no  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

legal  battle  that  was  to  decide  whether  Dick  should 
step  forth  a  free  man  or  go  to  prison  for  a  term  of 
years.  The  prosecution  were  confident,  and  as 
there  seemed  to  be  no  great  amount  of  confidence 
on  the  side  of  the  defense,  it  was  looked  upon  by 
spectators  as  a  decidedly  one-sided  affair.  The 
prosecuting  lawyer  stated  his  case,  and  in  stating  it 
said  that  his  side  was  ready  to  prove  that  Richard 
Vaughn  was  the  thief,  that  part  of  the  money  stolen 
had  been  found  in  his  possession ;  and  he  dwelt  a 
long  time  on  the  fact  that  Mr.  Vaughn  had  been  a 
trusted  employe  and  had  taken  advantage  of  the 
men  who  had  assisted  him  and  had  put  confidence 
in  him. 

The  president  of  the  bank  was  the  first  witness 
called.  He  testified  to  the  facts  as  he  understood 
them,  but  in  reality  he  knew  nothing,  as  the  money 
had  been  taken  from  the  coat  belonging  to  Mr. 
Vaughn  before  he  had  seen  it.  Several  clerks  and 
also  the  bank  detective  were  called  and  testified  to 
finding  the  money  in  a  coat  said  to  belong  to  Rich 
ard  Vaughn. 

The  testimony  was  not  as  straight  as  the  prosecu 
tion  expected  it  would  be,  and  as  Harvey  Lippman, 
the  lawyer  for  Dick,  cross-questioned  them,  he  man 
aged  to  send  out  the  impression  that  there  was  a 
reasonable  doubt  about  the  whole  thing. 

After  a  little  conversation  among  the  lawyers  for 
the  prosecution,  it  was  decided  to  call  Henry  E. 
Ballard,  the  son  of  the  president  of  the  bank.  His 
testimony  was  the  straightest  of  all.  He  was  with 
the  detective  when  the  money  was  taken  out  of  the 
coat  that  hung  in  the  closet,  and  recognized  the 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  in 

coat  as  one  belonging  to  Mr.  Vaughn.  More  than 
this,  he  volunteered  the  fact  that  Mr.  Vaughn 
admitted  that  the  coat  was  his. 

The  moment  the  prosecution  had  finished  with 
this  witness,  Lawyer  Lippman  was  on  his  feet  and 
commenced  to  cross-question  him. 

"You  are  the  son  of  the  president  of  the  Metro 
Bank,  I  believe?" 

"Yes,  sir,"  and  the  look  of  contempt  that  was 
shown  on  the  face  of  young  Ballard  was  plain  to  be 
seen.  More  than  this,  it  was  more  or  less  shared  by 
the  rest  of  the  prosecution. 

"Now,"  continued  Lippman,  "will  you  tell  me 
how  much  salary  you  receive  or  how  much  money 
you  have  received  the  past  year  from  the  bank  as 
assistant  cashier  or  from  your  father  in  gifts?" 

"One  moment,  your  Honor,"  said  the  prosecuting 
attorney;  "this  witness  is  not  on  trial." 

"I  know  he  is  not  on  trial,"  said  Mr.  Lippman, 
"but  he  is  the  only  one  who  has  given  to  the  jury 
convincing  testimony  in  this  case.  He  is  the  only 
one  who  has  breathed  a  suspicion  that  there  was 
ever  anything  wrong  in  regard  to  the  character  of 
Richard  Vaughn  previous  to  this  trouble.  He 
proved  nothing,  and  only  gave  out  these  things  as 
his  suspicions.  Now,  what  I  am  ready  to  do  is  this : 
I  am  ready  to  show  that  while  the  prosecution  have 
not  shown  any  motive  for  the  crime  on  the  part  of 
my  client,  I  can  prove  that  the  witness  on  the  stand 
is  a  man  of  no  principle  or  character,  and  one 
whose  word  should  not  be  taken  on  oath. ' ' 

As  a  matter  of  course  there  was  a  sensation  in 
court.  The  witness  on  the  stand  turned  pale,  but 


ii2  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

with  suppressed  rage.  His  father,  the  president  of 
the  bank,  was  almost  beside  himself  with  vexation, 
and  his  contempt  for  the  man  who  could  so  malign 
his  son  was  not  held  back.  The  prosecuting  law 
yers  were  telling  the  judge  in  the  strongest  terms 
they  could  that  their  witness  should  not  be  insulted, 
as  he  was  not  on  trial.  Lawyer  Lippman  stood 
firm  awaiting  the  decision  of  the  judge,  and  after 
quiet  was  restored  the  decision  came.  The  lawyer 
for  the  defense  was  allowed  to  bring  out  any  evi 
dence  that  he  had  to  bring,  but  the  witness  was  not 
obliged  to  incriminate  himself. 

Mr.  Lippman  again  asked  his  question  and  the 
witness  refused  to  answer.  He  was  then  asked  to 
relate  his  experience  with  the  robbers  on  Howard 
street.  This  he  also  declined  to  say  anything  about, 
and  his  lawyer  again  demanded  that  he  be  allowed 
to  go  unless  the  lawyer  for  the  defense  would  con 
fine  himself  to  a  proper  course  of  cross-examination. 

This  was  all  Mr.  Lippman  expected.  He  had 
shown  to  the  jury  that  the  witness  was  afraid  to 
allow  himself  to  be  examined  on  his  private  life  and 
doings,  and  it  left  a  doubt  in  their  minds  in  regard 
to  the  honesty  of  his  testimony. 

The  witness  was  excused  and  the  prosecution 
rested  their  case. 

Mr.  Lippman  arose  and  said:  "Your  Honor,  the 
prosecution  have  seemingly  made  a  strong  case 
against  my  client,  but  I  propose  to  prove  to  you 
that  one  of  the  witnesses  had  a  strong  incentive  for 
testifying  as  he  did.  I  shall  also  prove  to  you  that 
the  principal  witness  for  the  prosecution  not  only 
has  a  motive  for  having  my  client  sent  to  the  peni- 


RICHARD  VAUGHN  113 

tentiary,  but  that  he  is  a  man  whose  testimony 
should  not  be  accepted  by  the  honorable  court.  I 
have  here  a  clipping  from  a  Boston  morning  paper 
of  June  25th,  of  this  year,  which  I  wish  to  read,  and 
which  was  given  to  the  reporter  at  the  time  by  the 
witness,  Mr.  Henry  E.  Ballard." 

Mr.  Lippman  then  read  the  clipping,  which  was 
the  same  as  Dick  and  Frank  heard  read  the  morn 
ing  after  the  affair  in  Howard  street. 

The  prosecuting  attorney  tried  to  speak,  but  the 
judge  motioned  him  down  and  Mr.  Lippman  con 
tinued:  "I  will  now  call  Dr.  William  Gates." 

The  doctor  came  forward  and  was  sworn,  and 
every  one  was  intensely  interested  to  know  what 
kind  of  a  turn  the  trial  was  about  to  take.  How 
ever,  it  was  past  twelve  o'clock  and  the  judge 
adjourned  court  until  i :  30  p.  m. 


When  the  court  convened  again  Doctor  Gates  was 
called  to  the  stand.  The  court-room  was  packed, 
which  was  something  of  a  surprise  to  both  Dick  and 
Frank,  there  being  many  of  Dick's  former  so-called 
friends  present. 

Mr.  Lippman  commenced  his  examination  of  the 
witness  by  saying:  "You  heard  me  read  a  notice 
from  a  newspaper  just  before  adjournment?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Where  were  you  on  the  evening  of  June  24th  of 
the  present  year?" 

The  doctor  glanced  around  until  his  eyes  met 
those  of  young  Ballard,  and  then  he  said: 

"I  spent  a  part  of  the  evening  with  Henry  Bal 
lard.  I  suppose  that  is  what  you  want  to  know." 

"Tell  the  court  what  happened  while  you  were 
with  him." 

"I  don't  know  that  I  can  remember  very  well,  it 
is  so  long  ago." 

"Then  tell  it  as  near  as  you  remember  it." 

"We  were  walking  on  Howard  street  when  sud 
denly  two  men  confronted  us  and  one  of  them 
knocked  Mr.  Ballard  down." 

"Well,  what  then?" 

"I  don't  know  what  happened  then;  I  ran  away." 

"Did  you  think  these  men  were  robbers?" 

"I  suppose  so." 

"Did  you  cry  out  for  the  police  when  you  ran 
away?" 

"4 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  115 

"I  don't  remember." 

"Did  you  report  the  affair  to  the  police?" 

"I  don't  remember." 

"Then  you  knew  your  friend  was  in  the^  hands  of 
robbers  and  you  ran  away  and  left  him  and  never 
told  any  one  about  it.  Were  you  and  Mr.  Ballard 
alone  on  Howard  street,  or  was  there  some  one 
else  in  your  party?" 

"I  don't  remember." 

The  prosecuting  attorney  said:  "If  it  pleases  the 
honorable  court,  I  think  all  of  this  is  irrelevant 
testimony  and  has  no  bearing-  on  the  case." 

"I  think,  your  Honor,  that  the  learned  gentleman 
on  the  other  side  will  find  that  the  testimony  of  this 
witness  will  bear  on  the  case  if  he  recovers  his 
memory  enough  to  give  us  any." 

The  judge  nodded  for  Lippman  to  go  on,  and  he 
commenced  again  with  his  questions. 

"Is  it  not  a  fact  that  there  were  some  young 
ladies  or  girls  in  company  with  you  on  Howard 
street  on  the  night  in  question?" 

"No." 

"Oh,  then  your  memory  has  returned.  You  are 
positive  about  this?  You  had  no  female  companions 
on  Howard  street  on  the  night  of  June  24th  of  the 
present  year?" 

"Yes,  I  am  sure." 

"I  want  you  to  be  sure,  for  there  were  others  on 
Howard  street  that  night  besides  yourself  and  Mr. 
Ballard,  and  if  you  do  not  tell  the  truth  you  may 
have  occasion  to  remember  that  you  are  under  oath. 
It  is  a  crime  to  perjure  yourself,  and  one  that  is 
severely  punishable.  Now,  what  do  you  think 


n6  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

about  it?  Were  there  some  young  women  or  girls 
in  company  with  yourself  and  Mr.  Heniy  Ballard 
on  the  night  in  question?" 

"There  might  have  been." 

"And  yet  a  short  time  ago  you  told  the  court  that 
you  were  sure  there  were  none.  Now,  you  know 
whether  or  not  there  was  any  one  with  you  two 
young  men  that  night,  and  I  want  the  truth." 

"I  think  there  were  some  women  there  who  spoke 
to  us,  but  I  am  not  quite  sure. " 

The  witness  was  excused,  and  Mr.  George  F. 
Strong  was  called,  who  testified  that  he  was  on 
Howard  street  at  the  time  in  question  and  saw  Mr. 
Ballard  and  Doctor  Gates  in  company  with  two 
young  women.  He  also  testified  that  the  four  got 
into  some  kind  of  a  quarrel  and  that  Mr.  Ballard 
knocked  one  of  the  women  down,  and  then  Mr. 
Ballard  was  knocked  down  a  moment  afterwards  by 
one  of  two  young  men  who  were  near  there  at  the 
time. 

"Did  you  know  the  young  man  that  knocked  Mr. 
Ballard  down?"  asked  Mr.  Lippman. 

"Yes;  it  was  Richard  Vaughn." 

The  witness  was  then  given  over  to  the  opposing 
counsel,  who  tried  to  break  his  testimony,  but  it  was 
of  no  use. 

Joe  Spellman  was  the  next  witness  called.  By 
this  witness  Mr.  Lippman  proved  that  Mr.  Ballard 
was  a  gambler  and  had  lost  large  sums  of  money 
within  the  last  year,  giving  dates  and  places.  As 
this  witness  was  a  well-known  detective,  the  prose 
cuting  attorney  allowed  him  to  retire  without  cross- 
questioning. 


RICHARD  VAUGHN  117 

Mr.  Herbert  Snow  was  then  called. 

"Mr.  Snow,"  said  Mr.  Lippman,  "kindly  tell  the 
court  what  your  business  is." 

"I  am  a  detective  and  have  been  for  the  past  ten 
years." 

"Were  you  in  the  Metro  Bank  the  day  Mr. 
Vaughn  was  arrested?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Were  you  there  at  the  time  of  the  arrest?" 

"No,  sir,  I  was  there  before  the  arrest,  but  was 
obliged  to  leave  before  the  arrest  was  made,  as  I 
was  working  on  another  case." 

"You  will  tell  the  court  about  the  discovery  you 
made  while  there.  One  moment,  please.  You 
know  Mr.  Henry  E.  Ballard  quite  well,  do  you  not?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"You  would  not  be  liable  to  mistake  some  one 
else  for  him  in  broad  daylight,  would  you?" 

"Certainly  not,  sir." 

"Just  wait  a  moment.  I  have  decided  to  let  you 
step  aside,  for  now  I  want  to  call  Mr.  Henry  E. 
Ballard  to  the  stand." 

Mr.  Snow  stepped  aside  and  Mr.  Ballard  was 
asked  to  take  the  stand,  which  he  did,  but  he  had 
lost  all  of  his  sang  froid.  He  was  pale  and  nervous. 

"Mr.  Ballard,"  said  Mr.  Lippman,  looking  Bai- 
lard  square  in  the  eye,  "you  looked  at  your  watch 
just  as  you  started  to  put  that  package  of  money 
into  Mr.  Vaughn's  coat.  What  time  was  it?" 

"Five  minutes  to  three,"  said  Ballard,  and  then, 
half -realizing  what  he  had  said,  he  dropped  appar 
ently  lifeless  into  the  witness  box. 

Mr.  Lippman  had  worked  this  scene  up  until  he 


n8  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

had  the  attention  of  every  person  in  the  court-room, 
and  not  a  soul,  not  even  the  opposing  counsel,  had 
the  least  idea  of  what  he  was  driving  at  when  he 
asked  the  question.  He  asked  it  rapidly,  and  as  he 
had  the  perfect  attention  of  Mr.  Ballard,  there  was 
nothing  else  for  him  to  do  but  to  answer  at  once, 
and  the  truth  was  the  only  thing  he  had  time  to  say 
or  think  of. 

Confusion  reigned  in  the  court-room.  The  scene 
was  indescribable.  The  prosecuting  attorneys  were 
the  only  ones  who  were  not  adding  to  the  confusion. 
They  were  dumbfounded  at  the  result.  Lippman's 
plan  was  plain  to  them  then,  but  it  was  too  late. 
Young  Ballard  had  fainted,  and  it  was  some  time 
before  he  was  brought  to  and  the  officers  of  the 
court  managed  to  regain  order. 

As  soon  as  Air.  Lippman  could  get  the  attention 
of  the  court,  he  said: 

"Your  Honor,  I  will  rest  my  case  here."  And  as 
the  opposing  counsel  had  nothing  to  offer,  the  case 
was  given  to  the  jury,  and  that  decidedly  interest 
ing  and  interested  body  of  men  brought  in  a  verdict 
of  "not  guilty,"  without  leaving  their  seats. 

The  prisoner  was  again  a  free  man.  He  was 
probably  the  most  surprised  man  in  the  court-room 
at  the  turn  affairs  had  taken,  but  he  was  the  one 
who  showed  it  the  least.  He  was  pale  from  con 
finement,  but  as  he  walked  out  of  the  court-room 
his  head  was  up  and  his  step  was  firm,  while  every 
one  else  was  excited.  Before  leaving  the  court 
room  Dick  shook  hands  with  the  judge  and  jurors, 
and  then  walked  out  with  his  lawyer,  accompanied 
by  Frank  Bard  well  and  Harley  Bean.  A  mere 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  119 

happy  man  than  Frank  Bardwell  could  not  have 
been  found.  He  had  no  words  to  express  his  joy, 
and  he  could  not  have  uttered  them  had  he  known 
what  to  say,  for  the  tears  were  streaming  down  his 
face. 

As  the  four  men  walked  out  of  the  court-room 
they  seemed  to  have  no  objective  point,  but  they 
brought  up  at  "Young's,"  and  were  soon  seated  in 
a  quiet  place  with  a  dinner  ordered  for  the  party. 

"Harley,"  said  Dick,  "I  think  I  have  heard  you 
say  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  a  friend.  Now, 
after  what  I  have  gone  through  and  the  way  you 
three  have  stuck  by  me,  what  have  you  to  say  for 
yourself?" 

"Just  the  same  thing  as  I  always  have,  Dick. 
The  whole  thing  is  selfishness.  I  was  in  the  thing 
for  excitement,  Lippman  was  in  it  for  money,  and 
Frank — well,  let's  see,  I'll  be  hanged  if  I  know 
what  Frank  was  in  it  for,  unless  it  was  to  get  an 
excuse  to  cry.  He  seems  to  enjoy  that." 

"Harley,  you  are  a  conundrum,  bat  there  are 
worse  than  you.  By  the  way,  how  about  the  money, 
Mr.  Lippman?  How  much  do  I  owe  you?  I  would 
like  to  know,  although  I  am  sure  I  don't  know  how 
I  am  going  to  pay  you  for  a  little  time." 

"You  don't  owe  me  a  cent,  Mr.  Vaughn,  and  I 
will  give  you  a  receipted  bill  any  time  you  will  call 
at  my  office.  You  see  in  that  way  we  will  knock 
Harley  out  of  another  of  his  pet  follies." 

"'Not  much  you  won't,"  said  Harley.  "Now, 
lock  here,  Lippman,  how  much  do  you  think  this 
case  will  be  worth  to  you  in  your  practice?" 

"I  don't  know,   Harley.     That  depends  a  good 


120  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

deal  on  how  much  the  papers  advertise  the  case  and 
the  part  I  took  in  it,  but  I  don't  think  I  would  have 
missed  it  for  five  thousand  dollars." 

"That's  it  exactly,  and  still  you  are  trying  to 
make  people  believe  that  you  are  working  for  love. 
Oh,  you  blind  people  make  me  weary!" 

"Mr.  Lippman,"  said  Dick,  "there  are  a  few 
things  that  have  puzzled  me.  How  did  you  happen 
to  find  that  man  who  was  in  the  bank  and  saw 
Ballard  put  that  money  into  my  coat,  and  why  did 
he  not  investigate  it  while  he  was  there  or  report 
the  case  and  get  me  out  cf  jail  quicker,  and  how  did 
you  know  about  Ballard's  looking  at  his  watch?" 

Mr.  Lippman  laughed. 

"When  you  have  the  Old  Nick  to  fight,  you  know, 
the  only  thing  to  fight  him  with  is  a  firebrand.  The 
most  of  that  was  guesswork,  and  I  will  tell  you 
another  thing,  boys,  Harley  Bean  did  more  work 
and  planning  on  this  case  than  I  did.  He  found 
the  detective  who  saw  the  trouble  on  Howard 
street,  and  he  also  found  another  one  who  by 
chance  was  in  the  Metro  Bank  the  same  day  the 
money  was  found  in  your  coat.  He  was  in  there  only 
a  minute  about  half-past  ten  in  the  morning,  but 
that  answered  my  purpose.  Harley  also  found  out 
that  young  Ballard  was  in  the  habit  of  looking  at  his 
watch  every  time  he  started  to  go  anywhere  or  when 
he  intended  to  do  anything.  I  put  these  things 
together;  treated  them  as  facts;  my  bird  fell  into 
the  trap,  and  there  you  are.  My  whole  questioning 
of  Doctor  Gates  was  only  to  get  young  Ballard  into 
proper  condition.  He  said  just  what  I  wanted  him 
to,  for  he  gave  me  a  good  chance  to  shake  the  per- 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  121 

jury  business  over  him.  You  see,  it's  this  way:  if 
you  are  about  to  crack  a  walnut  you  will  prepare. 
First,  you  will  perhaps  get  a  flatiron,  place  it 
between  your  knees,  take  the  nut  between  the 
thumb  and  index  finger  of  your  left  hand,  place  one 
edge  of  the  nut  on  the  flatiron  and  strike  the  upper 
edge  of  the  nut  a  light  tap  with  a  hammer,  and  the 
trick  is  accomplished.  It  is  exactly  the  same  with 
a  witness  that  you  want  to  get  a  little  of  the  meat 
called  testimony  out  of:  before  you  crack  him  he 
must  be  well  prepared.  Ballard  was  so  well  pre 
pared  that  a  very  light  tap  brought  all  of  the  meat 
out  whole. " 

Harley  Bean  took  it  upon  himself  to  pay  for  the 
dinner.  Then  they  bade  Mr.  Lippman  good  night 
and  the  three  men  went  to  Frank's  room  and  talked 
over  the  various  things  that  interested  them. 

"Harley,"  said  Dick,  "  "I  was  sorry  to  hear  that 
your  wife  had  left  you." 

"Were  you?  I  am  sure  I  always  tried  to  treat 
you  right,  though  perhaps  I  haven't  gone  out  cf  my 
way  to  do  it." 

Dick  laughed  and  said:  "I  hope  it  is  all  for  the 
best.  Have  you  given  up  drinking?  You  know 
you  intimated  some  time  ago  that  you  were  half 
driven  to  it." 

"Did  I?  I  did  not  intend  to.  No,  I  haven't 
given  up  drinking  exactly.  It  tastes  just  as  good  as 
ever  it  did,  but  I  have  reformed  some.  I  get  full 
only  on  decided  provocation." 

"And  what  do  you  consider  decided  provocation?" 

"I  haven't  had  anything  decided  enough  but  once 
since  you  went  to  board  on  Charles  street,  and  that 


122  RICHARD    VAUGHN 

happened  in  this  way:  I  came  into  the  office  one 
noon  after  an  assignment,  and  one  of  the  boys  told 
me  that  my  wife  had  been  into  see  me.  'Now,' 
said  I  to  myself,  'when  my  wife  finds  me  if  she 
doesn't  smell  liquor  on  me  she  will  be  disappointed, 
and  I  don't  like  to  disappoint  her,'  so  out  I  went 
and  commenced  to  bowl  up.  Then  I  happened  to 
think  that  if  I  got  good  and  full  she  would  say, 
'That's  just  as  I  expected  to  find  you,'  and  I  argue 
that  when  a  man's  wife  puts  trust  in  her  husband 
that  way  some  attention  ought  to  be  paid  to  it. 
The  result  was  I  met  her  that  afternoon  on  the 
street,  and  I  don't  think  she  was  in  the  least  disap 
pointed.  I  was  afraid  I  wasn't  quite  full  enough, 
but  it  answered  the  purpose,  for  I  haven't  seen  her 
since.  She  wrote  to  me,  though ;  said  she  had  been 
thinking  it  over  and  had  decided  that  it  would  be 
her  duty  to  try  to  live  with  me  if  I  were  trying  to 
do  better,  but  when  she  found  me  drunk  on  the 
street  she  gave  up  in  disgust.  Just  think,  Dick, 
what  a  tight  squeeze  I  had.  If  the  boys  had  not 
put  me  on  she  might  have  found  me  sober.  Well, 
boys,  good-night.  I  must  leave  3rou,  for  I  have 
some  writing  to  do  yet  to-night. ' ' 

When  Dick  and  Frank  were  left  to  themselves 
they  began  to  think  of  Dick's  future. 

"Now  that  you  are  once  more  free,  Dick,  what 
do  you  propose  to  do?" 

"I  am  sure  I  don't  know.  When  I  was  in  jail  I 
never  once  thought  of  my  future,  for  although  I 
knew  I  was  innocent  of  any  crime,  I  did  not  see 
how  I  could  be  cleared.  Young  Lippman  certainly 
is  a  wonder." 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  123 

"Do  you  think  Mr.  Ballard  would  give  you  your 
old  position  at  the  bank?" 

"Well,  hardly;  although  I  don't  know  why." 

The  boys  talked  until  long  past  twelve  o'clock, 
and  no  one  bothered  them,  for  as  it  happened  no 
one  but  Harley  Bean  knew  they  were  in  the  house. 
They  talked  and  planned,  but  after  all  decided  that 
they  would  be  obliged  to  wait  until  the  next  day 
before  anything  about  Dick's  future  could  be 
decided.  Just  as  the  young  men  were  thinking  of 
retiring,  Harley  came  in. 

"My  work  is  done  for  the  night,  and  I  thought  I 
would  come  in  to  find  out  what  you  had  decided  to 
do  in  the  future,  Dick?" 

"Not  a  thing,  Harley.  Frank  proposed  that  we 
both  leave  Boston  and  go  West,  but  I  wouldn't 
listen  to  anything  of  that  kind.  Boston  is  my  home, 
and  always  has  been,  and  I  know  of  no  reason  why 
it  should  not  always  be.  I  have  done  nothing  to 
run  away  from,  and  it  seems  as  though  I  ought  to 
do  best  where  I  am  best  known." 

"I  am  glad  to  know  that  you  have  that  much 
sense,  Dick.  The  worst  thing  you  two  could  do 
now  would  be  to  leave  this  town,  for  wherever  you 
went  some  one  would  get  hold  of  this  story,  and 
when  they  did  they  would  get  hold  of  the  wrong  end 
of  it  and  would  have  it  that  you  had  committed 
seven  murders  besides  several  minor  offenses.  No, 
stay  where  you  are,  and  fight  it  out.  It  is  the  best 
way.  You  may  find  that  you  need  some  money 
before  you  get  settled  again,  and  if  you  do  just  call 
on  me.  I  have  a  little  that  is  idle,  and  I  would  be 
glad  to  loan  it  to  you  at  a  small  rate  of  interest. 


i24  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

You  see,  I  am  as  selfish  as  the  rest  and  am  looking 
out  for  myself." 

"Thank  you,  Harley,  but  I  don't  think  I  will  need 
any  money.  While  it  is  true  I  haven't  any  left,  I 
think  I  can  get  a  situation  readily,  and  most  likely 
will  be  at  work  to-morrow." 

"Don't  be  too  sure  of  that,  Dick.  People  in  Bos 
ton  are  queer  cattle,  and  they  are  about  the  same 
anywhere  else.  I  think  you  will  have  a  chance  to 
make  some  money  to-morrow,  but  you  will  decline, 
and  situations  are  not  hanging  on  every  bush  for 
men  who  are  just  out  of  jail." 

"But,  Harley,"  said  Frank,  "it  was  no  fault  of 
Dick's  that  he  was  in  jail.  How  can  that  make  any 
difference?" 

"Do  you  remember  what  old  man  Lemon  said 
about  discharging  you  because  you  roomed  with  a 
man  who  had  been  arrested?" 

"Yes,  but  that  was  Mr.  Lemon.  All  men  do  not 
have  such  strange  ideas." 

"Perhaps  not,  Frank,  but  the  more  you  study 
people  the  more  you  will  be  convinced  that  most  of 
them  have  a  little  lemon  in  their  make-up. 


CHAPTER    XI 

"Good  morning,  Frank,"  said  Mr.  H.  U.  Lemon 
the  morning  after  Dick's  release  from  custody.  It 
was  eight  o'clock,  and  Frank  had  been  at  work  for 
an  hour. 

"Good  morning,  Mr.  Lemon.  I  am  a  little 
behind  on  my  work,  but  now  that  Dick  is  free  I 
trust  there  will  be  no  more  breaks." 

"I  hope  not,  Frank;  we  could  not  stand  much  of 
this  kind  of  neglect.  The  Lord  expects  us  to 
attend  to  our  business  just  as  much  as  to  anything 
else,  and  unless  we  do  He  is  displeased  and  we 
suffer." 

After  the  rush  of  the  morning  was  over  Mr. 
Lemon  came  to  Frank  again  and  said:  "Now, 
Frank,  I  want  you  to  think  this  matter  over  seri 
ously  and  see  if  you  don't  think  it  best  to  go  some 
where  else  to  board  so  as  to  be  away  from  Mr. 
Vaughn.  You  can  make  an  excuse  that  you  want 
to  get  out  near  me  or  the  church,  and  come  to  live 
in  Cambridge.  It  isn't  going  to  do  you  any  good 
to  associate  with  Mr.  Vaughn.  You  know  you 
can't  handle  pitch  without  some  of  it  sticking  to 
your  fingers." 

"But,  Mr.  Lemon,  why  do  you  speak  of  Dick  as 
though  he  were  a  criminal?  He  was  cleared,  and 
not  only  that,  but  young  Mr.  Ballard  confessed  that 
he  himself  was  the  thief." 

"Yes,  I  know  all  of  that,  Frank,  but  you  don't 
125 


i26  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

understand.  He  has  been  arrested,  and  when 
people  see  him  the  fact  that  he  has  been  arrested 
will  come  to  their  minds ;  they  will  soon  forget  that 
he  was  freed,  and  if  they  do  think  of  that  there  will 
be  in  their  minds  a  vague  idea  that  he  was  dealt 
with  leniently  for  some  reason  other  than  his  being 
innocent." 

"Mr.  Lemon,  is  that  what  you  understand  by 
Christian  charity?" 

"Charity,  Frank,  begins  at  home.  We  must 
avoid  all  appearances  of  evil.  We  do  not  need  to 
associate  with  a  man  in  our  every-day  life  in  order 
to  welcome  him  to  the  fold  of  Christ.  The  doors  of 
our  churches  are  open,  and  the  blood  of  Christ  can 
wash  away  every  stain.  I  would  only  be  too  glad 
to  see  Mr.  Vaughn  attend  our  church  and  Sunday- 
school,  and  I  would  thank  God  if  I  could  know  that 
he  were  safe  within  the  fold,  a  follower  of  the  meek 
and  lowly  Jesus;  but  after  all  this  I  do  not  consider 
that  it  is  my  duty  or  your  duty  to  associate  with 
him.  God  brought  this  affliction  upon  him  for  some 
good  purpose,  and  in  His  own  good  time  He  may 
bring  him  up  to  a  higher  life,  but  we  must  do  some 
things  for  appearance's  sake.  The  good  Lord 
requires  it  of  us,  and  I  think  you  had  better  be 
governed  by  my  advice." 

Mr.  Lemon  was  called  away,  and  Frank,  left  to 
his  own  thoughts,  pondered  over  Mr.  Lemon's 
words.  He  could  not  understand  him.  It  did  not 
seem  a  Christian  act  to  cut  the  acquaintance  of  a 
friend  because  that  friend  had  been  unfortunate. 
"No,"  said  he  to  himself,  "I  would  not  hurt  Dick's 
feelines  for  a  thousand  Mr.  Lemons."  With  this 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  127 

decision  firmly  settled  in  his  mind  he  returned  to  his 
work,  and  fur  the  time  he  dropped  all  thoughts  of 
other  things. 

Dick,  in  the  meantime,  was  finding  out  a  few 
things.  He  was  finding  that  a  position  in  a  bank 
was  not  the  easiest  thing  to  secure.  At  the  Metro 
Bank  he  had  worked  up  from  errand  boy  to  a  good 
position,  but  now  he  was  having  brought  to  his 
mind  a  fact  that  he  already  knew;  that  bank  officials 
have  numberless  relatives,  the  most  of  whom  are  in 
need  of  positions. 

Dick  got  home  early  to  lunch,  and  finding  a  note 
there  for  him  from  Mr.  Ballard,  the  president  of 
the  Metro  Bank,  asking  him  to  call,  he  did  not  wait 
for  lunch,  but  at  once  went  to  the  bank  to  find  out 
what  was  wanted.  Mr.  Ballard  invited  him  into  his 
private  office,  and  after  asking  him  to  be  seated, 
said: 

"Richard,  you  have  been  through  a  severe  trial 
and  have  come  out  without  harm.  I  feel  that  I 
should  do  something  for  you  to  repair  the  wrong 
that  has  been  done.  You  will  no  doubt  realize  that 
it  would  be  impossible  for  me  to  give  you  back 
your  old  place  at  the  bank.  The  fact  is,  Richard, 
any  time  any  acquaintance  of  my  son  should  see 
you,  whether  in  the  bank  or  about  town,  you  would 
act  as  a  reminder  of  my  son's  misfortune.  I  have 
sent  him  away  for  this  same  reason.  Now,  Rich 
ard,  I  propose  to  do  the  right  thing  by  you.  I  am 
going  to  make  you  a  present  of  five  thousand  dol 
lars,  but  the  money  is  only  to  be  given  provided 
that  you  leave  Boston,  never  to  return.  You  are 
alone  in  the  world,  and  can  just  as  well  live  in  one 


128  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

place  as  in  another.  With  this  five  thousand  dol 
lars  you  can  go  into  business  in  some  small  town, 
and  you  can  be  a  big  man  in  a  small  town,  while 
here  in  Boston,  without  the  same  chance  of  a  start, 
you  would  never  be  heard  of  outside  of  your  own 
small  circle  of  acquaintances.  What  do  you  think 
of  the  proposition;  does  it  surprise  you?" 

"Yes,  Mr.  Ballard,  it  does  surprise  me.  I  have 
been  thinking  all  the  forenoon  that  I  should  have 
come  to  you  the  first  thing  this  morning  and  asked 
you  to  put  me  back  in  my  old  position  in  the  bank. 
I  positively  knew  that  you  would  not  do  it,  but  the 
more  I  talked  with  others,  the  more  I  realized  that 
such  a  course  was  the  only  one  whereby  I  would  be 
entirely  vindicated.  Mr.  Ballard,  I  have  wronged 
no  one,  but  have  been  wronged  while  in  your 
employ  by  your  own  son.  Why  should  you  wish  to 
send  me  away  with  the  mark  of  Cain  across  my  fore 
head,  when  you  are  the  only  one  in  the  world  who 
can  put  me  right?" 

"You  mistake  me,  Richard.  The  only  reason  I 
have  for  wanting  you  to  leave  here  is  what  I  have 
told  you,  but  don't  be  hasty  about  answering  me. 
You  think  it  over  and  see  if  you  don't  decide  that  I 
have  made  you  a  good  proposition." 

"I  will  think  it  over  if  you  want  me  to,  but  I  do 
not  think  I  shall  call  on  you  for  the  money."  With 
this  Dick  bade  the  banker  good-bye  and  left  the 
bank. 

Shortly  after  Dick  left,  a  bank  messenger  came  in, 
in  company  with  Harley  Bean. 

"You  sent  me  for  Mr.  Bean,  Mr.  Ballard.  Here 
he  is. ' ' 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  129 

"Oh,  this  is  Mr.  Bean,  is  it?  I  think  I  saw  you 
at  the  trial,  and  I  took  pains  to  find  out  who  you 
were.  I  am  glad  to  say  that  I  found  you  to  be  a 
most  estimable  gentleman,  and  one  who  could  be 
depended  on  to  work  for  the  best  interests  of  his 
friends." 

"All  right,  Governor,  I  call  you.  Show  your 
hand." 

"What  did  you  say,  Mr.  Bean?  I  don't  think  I 
understood  your  remark." 

"Never  mind  what  I  said;  go  ahead  with  the 
deal  and  let  a  fellow  know  what  you  are  driv 
ing  at." 

"You  use  queer  language  for  a  reporter.  Those 
whom  I  have  met  before  seemed  to  be  very  choice 
in  the  selection  of  their  words." 

"I  guess  you  are  right,  Governor,  but  you  see  I 
am  not  reporting  this  interview  for  the  paper. 
Those  guys  you  spoke  of  with  their  choice  words 
had  on  their  society  manners." 

"All  right,  Mr.  Bean,  I  guess  we  understand  each 
other.  I  sent  for  Mr.  Vaughn  and  told  him  I  was 
willing  to  give  him  a  start  in  life  if  he  would  go  to 
seme  other  town.  You  are  a  man  of  the  world,  Mr. 
Bean,  and  ycu  no  doubt  understand  that  it  would  be 
embarrassing  for  myself  and  also  for  my  son  should 
he  stay  here  after  what  has  happened." 

"Did  you  propose  to  Dick  that  he  should  leave 
town?" 

"Yes,  I  talked  to  him  along  these  lines." 

"And  he  mcst  likely  told  you  that  he  would  not 
go?" 

"Well,  no,  not  exactly,  although  I  am  afraid  he 


i3o  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

will  be  foolish  enough  to  throw  away  the  chance  of 
his  life." 

"How  do  you  propose  to  work  me  into  this  thing?" 

"Simply  by  my  doing  something  for  you  and  by 
your  having  a  chance  to  do  your  friend  Vaughn  a 
good  turn." 

"All  right,  go  ahead." 

,  "I  have  offered  to  give  Mr.  Vaughn  five  thousand 
dollars  if  he  will  go  to  some  other  state  and  stay 
there,  and  I  am  willing  to  give  you  a  thousand  dol 
lars  if  you  will  get  him  to  accept  my  offer.  That  is 
a  pretty  easy  way  of  earning  a  thousand  dollars,  is 
it  not,  Mr.  Bean?" 

"It  may  be,  but  it  is  pretty  tough  on  the  young 
man." 

"Pretty  tough  to  receive  five  thousand  dollars  to 
take  a  fresh  start  in  life,  when  all  he  has  to  do  is 
to  leave  the  place  where  in  all  probability  he  will 
never  succeed  in  getting  that  much  money  together? 
I  can  hardly  understand  how  you  can  say  it  is 
tough. ' ' 

"Look  here,  Mr.  Ballard,  Dick  Vaughn  has  but 
one  thing  left,  now  that  you  and  your  son  have 
robbed  him  of  his  situation.  It  is  his  honor,  and  if 
I  know  the  lad,  he  is  just  the  one  who  will  stay 
here  and  defend  it.  Why  do  you  want  him  to  leave 
the  city  and  state?  Don't  answer;  I  will  tell  you. 
You  think  that  after  he  is  out  of  the  way  a  short 
time  and  this  affair  has  blown  over,  you  can  bring 
your  son  back  and  you  can  let  the  impression  get 
out  that  Dick  was  really  the  guilty  one.  You  would 
sacrifice  Dick  that  you  may  give  your  son  another 
chance.  We  are  alone,  Mr.  Ballard;  you  can  talk 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  131 

straight  business  to  me.     Don't  cover  it  up  with  any 
charity  scheme;  it  is  too  thin." 

The  two  men  eyed  each  other  in  a  way  that 
showed  that  each  was  taking  the  measure  of  the 
other.  The  first  one  to  speak  was  Mr.  Ballard,  who 
said: 

"All  right,  Mr.  Bean,  we  will  talk  straight  busi 
ness.  We  will  say  nothing  about  the  motive.  I 
want  to  get  Mr.  Vaughn  to  leave  Boston  for  good 
and  all.  Will  you  assist  me?" 

"Consideration  one  thousand  dollars?" 

"Yes,  consideration  one  thousand  dollars." 

"How  do  I  know  that  I  will  get  the  money?" 

"You  will  be  obliged  to  trust  my  word  for  that, 
but  I  guess  my  word  is  good  for  the  amount.  I  will 
do  this,  however,  for  I  believe  you  to  be  an  honest 
man, — as  soon  as  you  give  your  word  that  you  will 
help  me  in  this  matter  I  will  give  you  one  hundred 
dollars.  Now,  say  the  word,  and  I  will  ring  for  the 
money. ' ' 

"Would  you  trust  a  man  that  would  betray  a 
friend?" 

"Yes,  when  in  betraying  that  friend  he  was  doing 
him  more  good  than  harm,  I  certainly  would  trust 
him.  Shall  I  ring  for  the  money?" 

"No,  not  now,  Mr.  Ballard.  I  don't  want  any 
money  until  I  have  earned  it,  and  I  want  to  look 
the  ground  over  before  I  start  to  work." 

When  Harley  left  the  banker's  private  office  Mr. 
Ballard  bowed  him  out  very  graciously,  and  after 
he  had  gone  the  banker  smiled  to  himself  and  said, 
half  aloud:  "What  a  shallow  chap!  I  really  flat 
tered  him  until  he  thought  he  was  too  honest  to 


i32  RICHARD  VAUGHN 

take  any  money  until  he  had  done  something  for 
me. " 

Harby's  thoughts  can  best  be  described  by  a  con 
versation  he  had  with  an  acquaintance  he  met  in  the 
next  block. 

"Hello,  Harley,  old  man!  you  look  as  though  you 
had  lost  your  last  friend." 

"No,  haven't  lost  any  friend  that  I  know  of.  Just 
had  an  offer  of  a  thousand  cold  plunks  for  one,  but 
don't  like  to  sell  myself  short." 

"What  are  you  talking  about,  anyway?  You 
must  be  full." 

"No,  net  full,  but  willing.  Have  you  got  the 
price?" 

"Yes,  I  have  the  price  all  right,  but  I  pass  you 
up  this  time.  You've  had  enough  now.  Where 
have  you  been,  anyway?" 

"Oh,  I  have  been  up  here  looking  at  a  trans 
parency." 

"Must  have  made  you  light  headed." 

"Well,  hardly,  but  did  it  ever  occur  to  you  that 
there  were  men  walking  around  loose  that  ought  to 
have  their  clothes  made  of  opaque  cloth?" 

"No,  it  never  occurred  to  me,  but  you  are  dense 
enough  to  go  naked." 

"Thanks,  awfully.  Good-bye."  But  the  chance 
acquaintance  was  around  the  corner  out  of  sight. 

That  same  night  after  supper  Harley  knocked  at 
Frank's  door  and  was  bidden  to  enter.  There  he 
found  Dick,  as  he  expected,  and  it  was  evident  that 
the  young  men  had  been  talking  of  something  that 
interested  them  very  much. 

"Harley,"   said  Dick,  "you  said  last  night  that  I 


RICHARD  VAUGHN  133 

would  be  offered  some   money  to-day.      What  did 
you  mean?     Had  you  heard  anything  to  that  effect?" 

"Not  a  thing,  but  I  thought  I  knew  my  man. 
How  much  did  he  offer  you — five  thousand?" 

"Look  here,  Harley,  how  did  you  know  he  was 
going  to  offer  me  five  thousand?" 

"I  didn't  know  he  was  going  to  offer  you  any 
thing,  but  I  know  now  that  he  has.  Wants  you  to 
leave  town,  I  suppose,  and  never  show  up  again." 

"You  have  told  that  much  correctly ;  now  suppose 
you  tell  me  what  I  said  to  him. ' ' 

"You  most  likely  had  it  in  your  mind  to  tell  him 
to  'go  to,'  but  you  were  so  surprised  that  you  left 
him  with  the  impression  that  you  might  accept  his 
offer.  Then  you  came  home  and  as  soon  as  you 
found  Frank  you  told  him  all  about  it,  and  some 
thing  he  has  said  has  made  you  sort  of  undecided  as 
to  what  you  ought  to  do." 

"Say,  Harley,  are  you  in  league  with  his  Satanic 
majesty?" 

"Why,  do  you  share  your  secrets  with  him?  But 
never  mind,  boys,  I  guessed  at  part  of  the  story,  so 
you  tell  me  the  rest. ' ' 

Dick  proceeded  to  tell  the  story  as  the  reader 
knows  it.  After  the  story  was  finished  Frank  said : 

"Perhaps  I  was  wrong,  Harley,  but  I  advised 
Dick  to  think  this  matter  over  and  to  consult  you 
about  it  before  he  decided  what  to  do  about  accept 
ing  it." 

"What  do  you  think  you  ought  to  do,  Dick?" 

"When  he  first  made  me  the  offer  I  had  it  on  my 
tongue's  end  to  say  to  him  that  he  had  not  money 
enough  in  his  bank  to  buy  me,  that  I  would  live 


i34  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

here  in  spite  of  him  and  his  son.  I  think  I  must 
have  lost  some  of  my  nerve  while  in  jail,  for  when 
he  told  me  that  I  had  better  think  it  over  I  walked 
out  without  deciding.  What  do  you  think  I  ought 
to  do,  Harley?" 

"Would  you  do  what  I  advised  you  to?" 

"I  think  I  would,  Harley.  At  least  I  would  seri- 
oi'.sly  consider  it,  for  I  am  sure  you  would  advise 
me  as  it  seemed  best  to  you." 

"All  right,  Dick,  here  is  my  advice,  and  I  want 
you  not  only  to  consider  it,  but  I  want  you  to  follow 
it  to  the  letter:  in  the  first  place,  make  up  your 
mind  to  stay  in  Boston.  Don't  try  to  secure  a  situ 
ation  in  a  bank;  go  to  work  at  something  else,  no 
matter  what,  so  that  there  is  a  chance  to  get  up  in 
it.  You  may  have  hard  work  to  get  into  anything 
that  suits  you,  but  take  what  you  can  get  until  you 
can  find  something  better.  Frank  and  I  will  see 
that  you  don't  want  for  money  until  you  get  to 
work,  and  then  you  can  pay  us  back  as  you  can. 
What  do  you  say?  Will  you  follow  my  advice?" 

"Will  I?  Well,  I  guess  yes,  for  you  have  advised 
me  exactly  as  I  wanted  to  be  advised,  and  the  only 
thing  about  it  I  don't  like  is  that  I  am  obliged  to 
borrow  from  you  two  until  I  can  pay  you  back, 
which  may  be  some  time  yet.  But  tell  me,  Harley, 
why  do  you  persist  in  saying  that  there  is  no  such 
thing  as  friendship?  Who  but  true  friends  would 
do  as  you  and  Frank  are  willing  to  do?" 

"All  selfishness,  Dicks  all  selfishness.  You  see, 
we  don't  want  to  lose  you.  It  sort  of  breaks  up  the 
gang,  you  know." 

The  next  day  Dick  was  out  in  good  season  look- 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  135 

ing  for  work.  He  had  left  his  troubles  behind  him 
and  was  once  more  his  own  self.  It  was  several 
days,  however,  before  he  found  anything  to  do,  and 
then  it  was  by  accident  that  he  stumbled  upon  it. 
One  day,  being  in  a  manufacturing  section  of  the 
city,  Dick  was  attracted,  as  he  always  was,  by  the 
noise  of  machinery,  and  stepped  into  a  furniture 
factory.  While  he  was  watching  the  men  at  the 
turning  lathes  and  other  machines,  the  proprietor 
of  the  place  came  along  and  said  in  a  very  gruff 
manner,  "What  do  you  want  here?" 

"Nothing  in  particular;  I  was  just  watching  the 
men  work." 

"Just  watching  the  men  work,  eh?  It  would  be 
more  to  your  credit  if  you  were  working  yourself." 

"No  doubt  it  would,"  said  Dick.  "Will  you  give 
me  something  to  do?" 

Jim  Anderson,  the  proprietor  of  the  small  furni 
ture  factory,  was  a  rough-spoken  man,  but  a  man 
with  a  good  heart,  and  at  the  same  time  he  had  no 
earthly  use  for  any  man  who  looked  down  upon 
honest  labor.  Usually  when  he  spoke  to  strangers 
who  were  wandering  about  his  place  of  business 
they  would  take  themselves  off  without  a  word,  and 
he  was  somewhat  surprised  that  Dick  did  not  do  the 
same.  As  Dick  asked  for  something  to  do  Jim 
looked  him  over,  and  noticing  that  he  was  very  well 
dressed,  he  said:  "You  have  wandered  into  the 
wrong  stall,  my  fine  fellow.  You  should  be  looking 
for  work  down  in  Washington  street,  where  you 
could  look  nice  all  the  time  and  wait  on  the  ladies." 

"Is  it  a  disgrace  in  your  eyes  for  a  man  to  look 
neat?" 


i36  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

"Well,  no,  perhaps  not,  but  what  can  you  do?" 

"I  can  keep  your  books." 

"I  thought  so.  A  pen  is  about  as  big  a  thing  as 
you  would  care  to  handle.  Now,  if  you  can  shovel 
sawdust  I  will  hire  you." 

"All  right,  sir,  I  will  accept  the  situation,  pro 
vided  there  is  money  enough  in  it  to  pay  my  board, 
and  a  chance  to  improve  my  condition." 

"Say,  but  you  aren't  such  a  bad  chap  after  all. 
What  did  you  ever  do,  and  why  did  you  leave  your 
last  place?" 

"I  was  a  clerk  in  the  Metro  Bank,  and  had  been 
there  for  ten  years  until  about  three  months  ago, 
when  I  was  arrested,  being  accused  of  stealing 
money." 

"Yes,  yes,  I  read  about  that.  You  have  a  funny 
kind  of  a  name — commences  with  V,  doesn't  it?" 

"My  name  is  Vaughn,"  said  Dick,  "but  it  doesn't 
seem  funny  to  me." 

"I  don't  read  the  papers  much,  but  I  read  the 
whole  of  that,  for  I  happened  to  know  young  Lipp- 
man,  the  lawyer.  So  you  are  willing  to  shovel  saw 
dust,  are  you?  Well,  you  come  here  in  the  morning, 
and  we  will  see  if  you  are  as  good  as  your  word." 

"Yes,  but  you  must  remember  that  I  said  I  must 
receive  money  enough  to  pay  my  board  and  have  a 
chance  to  rise. ' ' 

"All  right,  my  boy,  come  to-morrow.  We  will 
find  out  what  kind  of  stuff  you  are  made  of,  and 
will  give  you  a  chance  to  rise,  if  it  is  only  a  chance 
on  the  elevator." 


CHAPTER    XII 

"Oh,  Miss  Mabel,  such  an  awful  thing  has  hap 
pened!"  It  was  Miss  May  Rivers  who  spoke,  as 
Mabel  came  downstairs  to  breakfast. 

"What  is  it,  Miss  Rivers,  that  is  so  awful?" 

"You  will  think  it  is  awful  when  you  hear  it. 
You  have  seen  that  little  Hoi  brook  girl,  little 
Mamie?  Well,  it  is  about  her.  She  wandered 
away  last  evening  and  the  whole  town  has  been 
out  after  her  all  night.  This  morning  they  found 
her  bruised  and  mangled  body  in  the  woods,  right 
at  the  place  where  you  met  Doctor  Lovelace  one 
afternoon;  don't  you  remember?" 

"Yes,  I  remember;  but  what  had  happened  to 
her?  Was  she  dead?" 

"Yes,  she  was  quite  dead,  Mabel,  and  it  was  the 
work  of  some  human  wretch  or  wretch  in  human 
form." 

"Oh,  what  can  possess  people  to  do  such  horrible 
things!"  Mabel  sat  down  pale  and  trembling. 
Something  very  like  this  had  happened  at  three 
different  times  since  she  had  arrived  in  the  South 
that  she  had  heard  of,  but  this  was  the  first  time 
that  the  victim  had  been  actually  known  to  her.  ' 

"Poor  little  Mamie!"  she  said.  "She  couldn't 
have  been  mere  than  seven  years  old,  and  she  was 
such  a  sweet,  bright  little  thing!  Only  yesterday 
she  came  to  the  porch  and  I  held  her  in  my  lap  and 
she  told  me  all  about  the  flowers  that  grew  in 

13? 


138  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

the  woods.  Oh,  who  could  do  such  a  horrible 
thing?" 

"Some  of  those  ignorant  negroes,  I  suppose.  If 
these  people  would  only  help  us  to  teach  them  and 
convert  them,  how  much  better  it  would  be.  It  is 
so  strange  they  cannot  see  things  in  their  proper 
light." 

"Have  you  seen  anything  of  Tom?" 

It  was  Mrs.  Pennyworth  who  asked  the  question, 
but  no  one  had  seen  him.  Tom  was  a  sort  of  a  man 
of  all  work  in  the  Pennyworth  family.  His  full 
name  was  Thomas  Morgan,  but  it  was  seldom  that 
the  last  name  was  needed ;  every  one  knew  him  as 
Tom  from  one  end  of  the  town  to  the  other.  He 
had  been  born  in  Holton  and  had  always  lived 
there.  Previous  to  the  arrival  of  the  Pennyworth 
family  he  was  known  as  one  of  the  good-for-noth 
ing,  trifling  niggers,  who  only  worked  enough  to 
keep  himself  from  starving.  He  was  not  consid 
ered  particularly  bad,  but,  like  many  of  his  race  who 
had  more  freedom  than  they  knew  what  to  do  with, 
it  was  thought  he  would  bear  watching.  When  the 
Pennyworths  arrived  Tom's  smiling  face  won  his 
way  into  their  hearts,  and  he  became  the  man-of- 
all-work  already  spoken  of.  Tom  spent  half  of 
every  school  day  at  school,  and  although  he  did  not 
seem  to  learn  much,  he  was  a  good  listener,  and 
when  it  came  to  church  service  he  was  a  most 
devoted  follower.  At  all  events,  that  was  what 
Miss  Rivers  said,  and  Tom  was  considered  her 
especial  protege". 

As  soon  as  Mabel  had  gotten  over  the  worst  of 
the  shock  occasioned  by  the  news  of  little  Mamie's 


RICHARD  VAUGHN  139 

death,  she  thought  of  the  little  girl's  mother,  and 
without  stopping  for  her  breakfast,  commenced 
getting  ready  to  go  out 

"Where  are  you  going,  Mabel?"  said  Mr.  Penny 
worth. 

"I  am  going  to  see  Mrs.  Holbrook;  will  you  go 
with  me?" 

"No,  Mabel,  and  you  had  better  not  go  yourself. 
It  is  said  that  some  negro  did  this  crime,  and  pub 
lic  opinion  just  at  the  present  time  is  very  much 
wrought  up,  and  no  one  can  tell  what  these  people 
will  do." 

"What  have  we  to  do  with  the  feeling  for  or 
against  the  negro  if  he  is  in  the  wrong?  It  would 
seem  to  me  that  if  these  people  have  such  an  opin 
ion  of  us  we  should  show  them  by  our  actions  that 
we  are  on  the  side  of  right  and  justice,  regardless 
of  color. ' ' 

"You  don't  understand,  Miss  Mabel;  you  don't 
understand." 

"Perhaps  I  do  not,  but  I  understand  this  much — 
that  in  a  case  like  this  I  am  going  to  act  the  same 
as  I  would  at  home :  I  am  going  to  see  Mrs.  Hol 
brook." 

While  Mabel  was  listening  she  drank  a  cup  of 
coffee,  and  thus  fortified  she  left  the  house  and 
hurried  to  the  home  of  Mrs.  Holbrook.  The  house 
was  full  of  strangers  to  Mabel,  but  they  all  knew 
who  Mabel  was  and  all  seemed  surprised  that  she 
should  come.  Mabel  found  Mrs.  Holbrook  and 
tried  to  say  something  to  her,  but  could  only  hold 
out  her  hand,  which  Mrs.  Holbrook  took  and  held 
for  a  minute  and  then  gave  way  to  crying.  She 


i4o  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

recognized  in  Mabel  a  dear  friend  of  the  little 
daughter's  who  lay  dead  and  mangled  in  an  adjuin- 
ing  room,  and  every  new  thought  brought  fresh 
tears. 

A  short  time  after  Mabel  arrived  at  Mrs.  Hoi- 
brook's  a  commotion  was  heard  in  the  front  yard. 
In  a  moment  two  young  men  came  into  the  house, 
and  both  said  at  once:  "We  have  caught  him!  We 
have  caught  him!"  Then  one  of  the  young  men 
told  Mrs.  Holbrook  that  they  had  been  sent  to  bring 
her  to  see  the  negro  before  he  was  hung.  Mrs. 
Holbrook,  however,  declined  to  go,  but  many  of  the 
women  left  the  house  to  see  what  was  to  be  done 
with  him  and  how  he  looked,  for  the  young  men  had 
told  that  it  was  Tom,  the  Northerners'  nigger  help, 
who  had  committed  the  crime.  When  Mabel  heard 
this  she  felt  numb.  She  knew  what  was  going  on 
around  her,  but  she  seemed  to  have  no  feeling  in 
the  matter. 

In  the  meantime  word  had  been  carried  to  the 
men  who  had  the  negro  in  charge  that  Mrs.  Hol 
brook  could  not  come  to  the  hanging;  so,  without  a 
moment's  hesitation,  the  negro  was  hurried  fur- 
ward  towards  Mrs.  Holbrook's  house.  In  a  little 
time  a  cry  was  heard,  "Here  they  come!"  and 
Mabel,  looking  out,  saw  the  mob  of  infuriated  men 
and  also  saw  the  negro  with  the  rope  around  his 
neck, — and  still  she  had  no  feeling.  She  saw  them 
throw  one  end  of  the  rope  over  a  limb  of  a  tree,  and 
then  the  thought  seemed  to  come  to  her  that  she 
must  know  from  the  negro's  own  lips  if  he  were 
guilty  of  this  awful  crime.  She  went  out  where 
the  men  were,  and  as  she  came  towards  the  crowd 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  141 

every  man  seemed  to  be  surprised  into  silence. 
Without  looking  to  the  right  or  left  Mabel  walked 
directly  to  where  the  negro  was  standing  between 
two  powerful  men,  and  as  she  came  up  to  him,  she 
said:  "Tom,  look  at  me.  I  have  heard  you  say  that 
you  were  a  Christian.  Now  tell  me  the  truth.  Did 
you  kill  little  Mamie?" 

"Yes,  missis,  I  did;  but  it  wasn't  me,  it  was  the 
debble  in  me.  For  sure,  missis,  it  wasn't  me. 
Won't  you  save  me?" 

Mabel  turned  and  started  back  towards  the  house 
without  another  word,  and  as  she  turned  it  seemed 
to  be  a  signal  for  the  men,  for  in  an  instant  a  hun 
dred  willing  hands  pulled  on  the  rope  and  sent  the 
negro  into  eternity;  and  in  another  instant  a  hun 
dred  guns  were  discharged,  the  contents,  for  the 
most  part,  piercing  the  negro's  body.  Mabel  cov 
ered  her  face  with  her  hands,  ran  into  Mrs.  Hoi- 
brook's  house,  and  threw  herself  upon  a  couch. 
The  crowd  dispersed  and  left  the  negro  hanging  in 
front  of  the  house. 

In  a  little  time  Mabel  regained  control  of  herself 
sufficiently  to  get  up  and  start  for  home,  but 
although  the  distance  was  short,  the  task  was  a 
heavy  one  for  her.  She  had  a  feeling  that  she  was 
being  followed,  and  Mr.  Pennyworth's  words  came 
to  her.  For  a  moment  she  was  frightened,  but  a 
voice  reassured  her. 

"Wait  a  moment,  Miss  Richards.  You  have 
overtaxed  your  strength;  let  me  assist  you." 

It  was  Doctor  Lovelace,  and  Mabel  gladly  took 
his  arm  and  walked  along  with  him.  When  they 
arrived  at  the  Pennyworth  residence  the  doctor 


14*  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

accepted  Mabel's  invitation  to  enter.  They  found 
all  of  the  inmates  of  the  Pennyworth  household, 
with  most  of  the  negroes,  congregated  in  the  living- 
room.  No  work  had  been  done  in  the  house  that 
day,  and  hardly  a  word  had  been  spoken  above  a 
whisper.  As  Mabel  and  the  doctor  entered  the 
room,  Miss  Rivers,  looking  up,  brought  her  hands 
together  and  half  placing  herself  in  a  supplicating 
position,  said:  "Isn't  it  dreadful,  Doctor  Lovelace? 
Do  you  suppose  the  poor  boy  realized  what  he  was 
doing?" 

"I  don't  know,  Miss  Rivers,  but  I  will  assure  you 
that  we  did  when  we  strung  him  up  and  filled  him 
full  of  lead." 

There  was  a  half-comical  smile  on  the  face  of  the 
doctor  as  he  said  this  that  seemed  to  make  the  feel 
ing  of  horror  more  complete  to  every  one,  except 
Mabel.  She  paid  no  particular  attention  to  it ;  in 
fact,  had  she  not  found  the  people  at  the  house  in 
such  a  disturbed  condition,  she  would  have  felt 
quite  well,  for  although  a  woman  of  strong  feelings, 
she  was  a  woman  of  sound  sense. 

The  negroes  were  no  worse  than  the  whites,  but 
they  were  ashy  pale  with  fright.  A  door  opened 
and  the  voice  of  old  Aunt  Tilda  was  heard: 

"Hit  'peer  monstrous  quar  dat  you  good-fur- 
nuthin'  niggers  couldn'  stop  yo'  foolishnis  en  go  to 
work.  Dese  yar  wite  fokes  ain'  gwine  ter  hurt 
you,  'cepen  you  'sarve  it.  Tom  Morgan  never  wuz 
no  'count,  nohow,  en  de  wite  fokes  is  done  gone  an' 
done  jis  whut's  right  wid  him." 

At  this  moment  she  espied  the  doctor. 

"Fur  de  Lawd's  sake,  Doctor  Lovelace,  can't  yo, 


RICHARD  VAUGHN  143 

tell  dese  good  wite  fokes  an*  dese  yar  good-fur- 
nothin'  niggers  not  to  be  so  skeered  fur  nuthin'? 
None  on  'em  'peers  ter  have  er  spark  er  sense 
'cepen  Miss  Mabel,  an'  I  done  said  w'en  she  went 
ovah  to  Miss  Holbrook's  dat  fokes  was  gwine  ter 
'spect  her  fur  hit." 

The  doctor  smiled  at  the  old  woman's  earnest 
ness,  and  said: 

"Aunt  Tilda  is  right;  you  people  have  nothing  to 
fear,  and  Miss  Richards  has  done  more  to-day  to 
improve  the  situation  than  even  she  knows,  although 
I  am  afraid  she  has  overtaxed  her  own  strength." 

"I  think  not,  doctor;  I  am  feeling  much  better 
than  I  did,  although  lately  I  have  had  a  very  languid 
feeling  that  I  cannot  seem  to  shake  off." 

The  doctor  started  to  leave  and  Miss  Richards 
went  with  him  to  the  front  porch,  as  she  wanted  to 
ask  him  some  questions  about  Mrs.  Holbrook.  This 
was  as  the  doctor  wanted  it,  for  he  too  wanted  to 
ask  some  questions,  and  after  Mabel  had  spoken  of 
Mrs.  Holbrook,  asking  what  could  be  done  for  her, 
the  doctor  said: 

"You  should  not  dwell  on  these  things;  it  will  do 
you  no  good.  It  would  be  better  if  you  would  think 
of  something  more  pleasant.  If  I  knew  what  your 
surroundings  were  up  North,  I  would  certainly  talk 
to  you  of  them." 

"You  have  a  different  idea,  then,  from  what  Mr. 
Pennyworth  has.  He  says  I  should  drop  my 
thoughts  of  home  and  put  my  whole  soul  into  this 
work. ' ' 

The  doctor  muttered  something  under  his  breath 
which  Mabel  did  not  catch,  and  then  said  aloud: 


144  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

"You  had  a  very  pleasant  home  in  the  North. 
Tell  me  something  about  it." 

"Why?" 

"Because  I  am  a  doctor  and  have  taken  you  in 
charge  for  the  time." 

"There  is  but  little  to  tell.  When  at  home  I  lived 
a  quiet  life,  watched  over  by  a  loving  father  and 
mother,  and  every  want  supplied." 

"Your  father  is  a  business  man,  I  presume?" 

"Yes,  but  why  do  you  ask  that?" 

"To  get  your  mind  where  I  want  it  for  one  thing, 
and,  for  another,  I  may  go  to  Boston  some  time 
and  I  might  be  so  bold  as  to  hunt  you  up,  if  you 
would  give  me  permission.  You  know  it  isn't  nice 
to  be  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land." 

"No,"  said  Mabel  with  a  sigh,  "it  certainly  is 
not.  Do  you  know,  Doctor  Lovelace,  you  remind 
me  very  much  of  a  young  gentleman  friend  of  mine 
at  home?  I  hardly  know  why  either,  because  you 
do  not  look  like  him  in  the  least.  Perhaps  it  is 
because  some  of  your  ideas  or  your  way  of  express 
ing  them  are  so  much  like  his." 

"Did  he  want  you  to  come  here?" 

"No,  I  know  he  certainly  did  not  want  me  to 
come  here,  and  he  told  me  many  things  that  you 
have  shown  me  were  true." 

"I  am  glad  I  remind  you  of  a  friend,  and  I  trust 
you  will  consider  me  a  friend  also." 

"I  do,  Doctor,  and  I  thank  you  very  much  for  the 
interest  you  have  taken  in  me." 

"But  you  did  not  give  me  your  father's  address?" 

"You  don't  want  much  of  an  address.  All  you 
have  to  do  is  to  go  to  South  Market  street,  which, 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  145 

by  the  way,  is  a  very  short  street,  and  ask  for 
Charles  Richards  of  the  first  man  you  meet.  But 
when  you  go,  if  you  should  go  before  I  do,  I  will 
give  you  a  letter,  which  will  be  very  much  better." 

The  doctor  bade  Miss  Richards  good-bye  and 
started  down  the  street.  He  had  found  out  what 
he  wanted  to  know.  Ten  minutes  after  leaving 
Mabel  he  was  at  the  telegraph  office,  and  in  ten 
minutes  mere  he  had  sent  the  following  message: 

"Charles  Richards,  South  Market  street,  Boston, 
Mass. — If  you  would  see  your  daughter  alive  come 
at  once.  Doctor  Douglas  Lovelace." 

"There,"  said  the  doctor  to  himself,  as  he  paid 
for  the  telegram,  "I  am  staking  my  reputation  as  a 
doctor  on  my  judgment  of  this  case,  but  somehow 
I  cannot  but  believe  that  I  am  right." 

It  was  eight  o'clock  the  next  morning  and  the 
doctor  was  just  finishing  his  breakfast  when  a 
young  negro  boy  from  Mr.  Pennyworth's  came  for 
him  in  great  haste.  He  said  the  nice  young  lady 
from  the  North  was  sick,  but  how  bad  he  could  not 
tell. 

The  doctor  hastily  caught  up  his  medicine  case 
and  hat  and  at  once  left  to  attend  this  patient — the 
call  that  he  had  been  expecting  all  night.  He  had 
received  an  answer  to  his  wire  the  evening  before, 
and  he  knew  that  by  this  time  Miss  Richards' 
father  was  on  the  way  to  see  his  daughter. 

Mr.  Pennyworth  and  Miss  Rivers  met  the  doctor 
at  the  door  and  conducted  him  upstairs  to  the  room 
occupied  by  Mabel. 

"Oh,  Doctor,"  said  Miss  Rivers,  "it  was  such  a 
dreadful  thing:  that  Miss  Richards  should  have  been 


146  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

allowed  to  leave  the  house  and  see  that  awful  dis 
graceful  happening  of  yesterday." 

The  doctor  turned  from  her,  and  a  look  of  disgust 
crossed  his  features. 

Mabel's  mind  was  wandering,  and  she  had  a  high 
fever. 

The  look  the  doctor  gave  the  old  maid  quieted 
her  for  the  time  ?.nd  the  doctor  went  on  with  his 
work.  He  sent  Mr.  Pennyworth  for  Aunt  Tilda  and 
installed  her  as  nurse,  giving  her  all  the  instruc 
tions  he  had  to  give.  The  doctor  sat  beside  Mabel 
for  an  hour,  and  all  the  time  the  family  did  not 
leave  the  room.  Mrs.  Pennyworth  was  somewhat 
of  an  invalid  herself,  or  thought  she  was,  and  as  the 
doctor  left  the  sick  room,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pennyworth 
and  Miss  Rivers  followed  him  downstairs. 

As  they  started  to  leave  the  room,  Mrs.  Penny 
worth  turned  to  Tilda,  and  said,  "I  will  send  Cloe  up 
to  take  your  place,  and  you  can  come  down  and  look 
after  me  as  usual." 

"You  will  do  nothing  of  the  kind,  Aunty.  You 
will  stay  here  and  do  nothing  for  any  one  but  Miss 
Mabel;  do  you  understand  me?" 

"Deed  I  does,  honey,  and  I'se  gwine  to  stay  right 
heah. " 

Mrs.  Pennyworth  was  surprised  and  so  were  the 
rest  of  the  family,  and  as  soon  as  they  were  down 
stairs  Miss  Rivers  said:  "You  certainly  are  not 
going  to  deprive  us  of  the  only  capable  servant  we 
have  when  some  one  else  can  sit  by  Miss  Richards 
as  well  as  Aunt  Tilda  can?" 

"I  think,  myself,"  said  Mr.  Pennyworth,  address 
ing  the  doctor,  "that  you  are  laying  too  much  stress 


RICHARD    VAUGHN  147 

on  Miss  Richards'  sickness.  She  has  had  a  severe 
shock,  but  the  most  she  needs  is  quiet,  and  my  wife 
needs  Aunt  Tilda  all  of  the  time." 

"I  was  not  aware  that  your  wife  was  so  sick. 
What  physician  does  she  employ?" 

"She  is  not  employing  any  now.  With  the  help 
of  God  she  is  bearing  her  burden  meekly." 

"You  talk  like  children,  and  I  have  listened  to 
you  for  the  sake  of  Miss  Richards.  The  shock  that 
Miss  Rivers  speaks  of  did  her  more  good  than  harm. 
Her  system  is  full  of  malaria,  and  if  I  save  her  from 
a  serious  sickness  it  will  be  by  close  attention, 
which  must  be  aided  by  careful  nursing.  The 
nursing  no  one  can  give  more  faithfully  than  can 
Aunt  Tilda,  so  don't  let  me  hear  any  more  about 
the  hardships  you  are  obliged  to  bear  in  giving  her 
up  as  a  servant  for  a  time.  It  may  not  be  for 
long,  for  Miss  Richards  may  soon  be  beyond  earthly 
care. ' ' 

The  doctor  bowed  himself  out,  leaving  his  hear 
ers  astounded,  and  he  said  to  himself  as  he  walked 
away,  "I  did  not  think  I  could  talk  that  way  to  any 
one,  but  those  people  are  wretchedly  selfish  and 
Miss  Richards  must  be  saved,  even  if  I  do  get 
myself  disliked  by  the  whole  outfit" 


CHAPTER   XIII 

Doctor  Douglas  Lovelace  loved  the  practice  of 
medicine,  and  it  had  been  his  dream  that  he  might 
go  to  some  large  city,  and  that  through  his  own 
efforts  and  skill  he  might  build  up  a  large  practice, 
but,  to  please  his  father,  he  had  settled  in  his  native 
town  and  had  tried  to  content  himself  with  a  small 
and  not  very  lucrative  practice.  His  father  had 
lost  less  than  many  of  the  rich  Southerners  during 
the  Civil  War,  and,  being  a  far-seeing  man,  had 
made  the  best  of  his  opportunities  since  the 
unpleasantness  was  over.  He  never  liked  the  idea 
of  Douglas's  studying  medicine,  but  he  thought  the 
world  of  him,  and  also  thought  that  what  the  young 
man  could  acquire  at  college  and  at  the  medical 
school  would  do  him  no  harm  when  the  time  came 
for  him  to  take  charge  of  the  plantation.  The  doc 
tor  had  a  strong  desire  to  please  his  father,  and  for 
that  reason  he  had  given  up  speaking  of  any  change 
in  his  plans,  cr  rather  his  father's  plans,  into  which 
he  seemed  to  be  drifting. 

The  doctor  was  interested  in  Miss  Richards' 
case,  first,  perhaps,  because  he  considered  it  a  diffi 
cult  one,  and  also  because  he  had  become  interested 
in  the  young  lady.  He  realized  that  she  was  out  of 
her  place  in  the  company  she  was  in,  and  he  had  a 
vague  idea  that  he  would  help  her  out  if  she  lived. 
He  had  plenty  of  time  to  attend  to  this  patient 

148 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  149 

closely,  and  he  spent  considerable  of  it  with  the 
sick  girl. 

One  day,  as  he  sat  by  her  bedside  and  listened  to 
her  incoherent  remarks,  he  noticed  all  at  once  that 
she  opened  her  eyes,  and  a  change  seemed  to  have 
taken  place.  He  had  not  expected  a  change  for  the 
better  so  soon,  and  it  puzzled  him,  but  he  soon  dis 
covered  that  it  was  only  a  change  in  her  mind  to 
other  wanderings. 

"Are  you  feeling  better,  Miss  Richards?" 

"Don't  talk  that  way,  Dick,"  said  Mabel.  "Call 
me  Mabel  as  you  always  have.  I  have  had  an  awful 
dream,  Dick.  I  thought  I  really  went  South  to 
teach,  and  I  thought  there  were  negroes  and 
negroes,  and  then  more  negroes,  and  then  there 
was  Mr.  Pennyworth,  with  his  little  mean  soft 
voice,  always  going  around  in  his  slippers  and  act 
ing  as  though  he  thought  some  one  were  about  to 
catch  him  and  punish  him  for  living,  and  then  there 
was  Miss  Brook — no,  not  Brock;  she  had  passed  the 
brook  stage  and  had  lengthened  out  into  a  river. 
Oh.  she  was  so  long  and  so  tiresome.  It  wasn't 
nice,  Dick,  and  I  am  glad  it  was  only  a  dream. 
There  was  no  one  nice  there  but  old  Tilda,  a  dear 
old  mammy,  and  you,  Dick.  Of  course  you  were 
nice;  you  couldn't  be  any  other  way,  but  you  were 
a  doctor  down  there  and  you  talked  facts  to  me,  just 
as  you  used  to  here,  only  you  didn't  say  you  loved 
me.  Don't  you  love  me  now,  Dick?  We  never  had 
any  trouble,  Dick,  even  if  I  didn't  let  you  say  good 
bye  to  me.  Don't  you  love  me?" 

The  doctor  took  her  hand,  and  stroking  it,  said: 
"Yes,  Dick  loves  you  and  wants  you  to  take  this 


iso  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

medicine  and  stop  talking  and  rest.  You  are  not 
very  well,  Mabel,  and  you  will  do  that  for  Dick, 
won't  you?" 

Mabel  took  her  medicine  and  lay  back  on  her  pil 
low,  and  in  a  few  minutes  had  drowsed  off  to  sleep. 

"Well,  Doctor  Lovelace,  yo'  is  sho'  a  wondah. 
Yo'  handle  her  jes*  laike  a  little  baby,  an'  she  done 
an'  gib  her  lub  to  some  man.  I  wondah  what  he 
am  like." 

The  doctor  did  not  express  himself,  but,  like  the 
old  mammy,  he  also  wondered  who  the  Dick  was 
with  whom  this  sick  girl  was  so  deeply  in  love,  and 
why  he  had  allowed  her  to  come  so  far  away  alone. 
As  he  sat  there  watching  her  his  thoughts  turned  to 
her  case,  and  he  began  to  figure  the  hours  before  a 
change  would  come,  and  then  he  tried  to  think  cf 
something  more  to  do  to  insure  the  change  being 
for  the  better. 

A  noise  at  the  door  of  the  room  aroused  the  doc 
tor  from  his  train  of  thought,  and  he  turned  and 
saw  a  man  come  hurriedty  across  the  floor.  The 
gentleman  was  about  to  speak,  but  the  doctor 
motioned  him  to  be  silent.  As  he  came  near  the 
bed  he  said,  pointing  to  the  figure  lying  there,  "I 
am  her  father;  tell  me  about  her,  quick." 

The  doctor  rose,  and  taking  Mr.  Richards  by  the 
hand,  led  him  from  the  room. 

"Your  daughter  is  very  sick,  Mr.  Richards,  and 
you  are  very  much  excited.  Calm  yourself.  In  no 
other  way  can  you  be  of  any  service  to  her." 

"All  right,  I  will  be  calm;  but  tell  me,  what  can 
I  do?" 

"Wait.      That   is   what   Aunt    Tilda   and   I   are 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  151 

doing,  and  that  is  all  that  any  one  can  do  under  the 
circumstances." 

"Are  you  Doctor  Lovelace?" 

"Yes,  I  am  Doctor  Lovelace,  and  I  assure  you 
that  everything  has  been  done  for  )rour  daughter 
that  could  be  done,  and  she  has  the  best  nurse  in 
the  country." 

"Where  is  Mr.  Pennyworth  and  his  family?" 

"I  am  sure  I  do  not  know;  I  have  not  seen  any  of 
them  since  noon." 

"And  do  you  mean  to  say  that  I  come  here  to  find 
my  daughter  neglected  by  the  ones  that  we  have 
reason  to  expect  the  most  of,  and  being  cared  for 
by  a  strange  doctor  and  an  old  negro  woman?" 

The  doctor  smiled  as  he  said:  "You  see,  Mr.  Rich 
ards,  those  people  came  here  to  teach  the  negroes. 
Looking  after  sick  white  people  is  not  in  their  line. 
Now,  don't  get  excited,  Mr.  Richards.  I  want  to  tell 
you  that  I  have  a  supreme  contempt  for  such  people 
as  the  reverend  Mr.  Pennyworth,  his  family  and  the 
white  people  he  has  surrounded  himself  with, 
except  your  daughter.  I  may  wrong  them,  but  I 
do  not  think  so.  These  people  have  not  offered  to 
do  anything  for  your  daughter  since  I  made  them 
send  Tilda  to  take  care  of  her,  and  if  they  had  I 
should  have  ordered  them  away,  for  they  would  do 
her  more  harm  than  good.  I  am  going  to  save  this 
girl.  I  knew  she  was  coming  down  with  the  fever, 
and  I  wired  you  to  come  before  even  the  girl  her 
self  knew  that  she  was  sick,  and  neither  Mr.  Penny 
worth  nor  any  of  his  family  know  that  I  have  sent 
for  you.  Now  will  you  be  governed  by  what  I  say 
in  this  matter  or  not?" 


152  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

'Command  me,  Doctor;  I  will  do  whatever  you 
say." 

"Then  go  to  the  hotel  and  get  something  to 
eat.  About  six  o'clock  come  back  here  and  relieve 
Aunt  Tilda  and  myself.  Let  her  get  some  sleep 
and  let  me  go  home;  and  whatever  you  do,  don't 
let  any  of  this  Pennyworth  tribe  come  near  her 
room." 

Mr.  Richards  heard  the  doctor  through  and,  prom 
ising  to  do  exactly  as  he  was  told,  left  for  the  hotel, 
where  he  spent  the  most  of  the  time  the  next  two 
hours  wondering  why  he  had  been  such  a  fool  as  to 
allow  his  daughter  to  come  South. 

When  Mr.  Richards  returned  at  six  o'clock  he 
found  the  Pennyworths  and  Miss  Rivers  eating  din 
ner.  They  had  not  heard  of  his  arrival.  Natu 
rally,  as  Mr.  Richards  was  quite  well  off,  was  a 
pillar  in  the  church  and  gave  liberally  to  the  church 
work  in  the  South,  he  was  one  who  received  all 
attention  from  those  who  depended  on  the  charity 
of  the  people  for  their  living.  The  door  was  opened 
by  one  of  the  servants,  but  before  he  had  a  chance 
to  get  upstairs  to  his  daughter's  room  he  was  inter 
cepted  by  Mr,  Pennyworth, 

"Why,  Mr,  Richards,  when  did  you  arrive?  How 
fortunate  that  you  should  come  just  at  this  time! 
I  was  thinking  of  writing  to  you  and  presume  I 
should  have  done  so  to-morrow.  Your  daughter  is 
not  feeling  well;  in  fact  is  confined  to  her  room, 
but  I  had  not  decided  that  it  was  serious.  If  I  had 
I  should  have  written  you  before  this." 

"You  Lave  taken  good  care  of  my  daughter,  I 
presume?" 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  153 

"We  have  given  her  the  best  we  had,  Mr.  Rich 
ards." 

"And  you  don't  think  she  is  seriously  sick?" 

"Oh,  no.  She  saw  one  of  those  hangings  the 
people  indulge  in  down  here,  and  it  was  too  much 
for  her.  But  come  right  in  and  have  some  dinner 
and  then  we  will  go  up  and  see  Miss  Mabel." 

"Mr.  Pennyworth,  have  you  seen  my  daughter 
to-day?" 

"No.  really,  I  haven't  been  in  to-day." 

"Did  you  see  her  yesterday?" 

"Why,  my  dear  Mr.  Richards,  what  does  all  this 
mean?" 

"It  means  that  I  only  allowed  Mabel  to  come 
South  with  the  understanding  that  she  should  come 
where  you  and  your  family  were,  so  that  she  would 
be  looked  after.  I  come  here  to  find  her  hovering 
between  life  and  death,  and  left  solely  in  the  care 
of  a  strange  doctor  and  an  old  negress. " 

"There  must  be  some  mistake  about  this,  Mr. 
Richards.  I  have  not  understood  that  Mabel  was 
more  than  slightly  indisposed." 

"Enough  of  this,  Mr.  Pennyworth.  I  realize  how 
foolish  I  have  been  in  letting  her  come  South  and 
in  trusting  her  to  your  care.  The  only  thing  I  have 
in  hand  now  is  to  try  to  get  her  well  enough  to  take 
her  away  where  she  can  have  proper  attention  and 
where  she  can  again  be  restored  to  health."  And 
Mr.  Richards  passed  upstairs  to  his  daughter's  room. 

The  next  few  days  passed  slowly.  The  time  of 
watching  over  the  sick  girl  was  divided  among  the 
doctor,  Mr.  Richards  and  the  old  mammy,  although 
Mr.  Richards  would  have  spent  all  of  the  time  at 


i54  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

her  bedside  had  he  been  allowed.  At  last  the  crisis 
came — the  turning  point  of  the  fever.  Mabel  opened 
her  eyes  to  see  all  three  of  her  nurses  at  once,  for, 
by  accident,  they  were  all  three  with  her.  It  was 
earl)T  in  the  morning,  and  such  a  beautiful  morning 
that  it  seemed  favorable  for  a  change  for  the  better 
in  the  sick  room.  Mabel  looked  up  at  them  all  and 
smiled. 

"Thank  God!"  ejaculated  Mr.  Richards. 

"Bless  de  Lord!"  said  Aunt  Tilda. 

The  doctor  drew  nearer  and  took  in  the  change 
from  a  professional  point  of  view. 

Mabel  would  have  said  something  to  her  father, 
but  the  doctor  said:  "Better  not  say  anything,  Miss 
Mabel.  We  all  have  something  to  say,  but  now 
that  you  are  out  of  danger  we  can  wait." 

She  was  given  a  little  nourishment  and  was  soon 
resting  peacefully. 

"Is  she  out  of  danger?"  asked  her  father. 

"No,  not  exactly,"  said  the  doctor,  "but  all  she 
needs  is  rest  and  good  nursing,  and  we  will  see  that 
she  gets  that." 

A  few  days  after  this  change  for  the  better  and 
while  Mabel  was  still  confined  to  her  bed,  the  doc 
tor  called  and  found  her  asleep,  with  Mr.  Richards 
sitting  at  her  bedside,  and  the  two  men  entered 
into  a  conversation  in  regard  to  the  sick  one. 

"I  am  anxious  to  take  my  daughter  home.  How 
long  do  you  think  it  will  be  before  she  can  be 
moved?" 

"I  am  afraid  it  will  be  some  time  before  she  can 
go  unless  she  has  special  attention  on  the  trip,"  said 
the  doctor. 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  155 

"I  had  thought  as  much,  and  while  I  am  not  a 
rich  man  as  riches  are  counted  now,  I  think  I  can 
afford  to  give  her  all  of  the  conveniences  needed  as 
soon  as  you  say  she  is  able  to  travel.  I  had  thought 
of  asking  you  to  go  with  us  and  also  of  taking  the 
old  negress,  provided  I  could  prevail  on  you  both  to 
go.  No  doubt  she  would  go  willingly,  but  perhaps 
no  money  that  I  could  pay  you  would  induce  you  to 
leave  your  other  patients  here.  I  have  been  wor 
ried  about  that  and  have  wanted  to  ask  you." 

"How  little  we  know  of  the  thoughts  of  other 
people,  Mr.  Richards.  Aunt  Tilda  has  become  very 
much  attached  to  Miss  Mabel,  and  she  might  go 
with  you  for  the  love  she  bears  her,  but  I  would  not 
advise  you  to  take  her,  for  although  her  old  master 
and  mistress  are  both  dead,  she  has  family  ties  that 
bind  her  to  this  part  of  the  country.  You  might 
prevail  on  her  to  go,  but  she  would  not  affiliate  with 
the  people  of  her  own  color  in  the  North,  and  while 
you  might  think  you  were  doing  her  a  kindness  by 
taking  her  with  you,  it  would  be  a  case  of  mistaken 
charity  and  would  be  dissatisfying  all  around.  In  a 
few  days  your  daughter  will  be  able  to  travel  if  she 
has  no  relapse,  most  likely  in  a  week  from  now,  and 
in  going  by  easy  stages  and  not  letting  her  get  her 
strength  overtaxed,  she  will  get  through  all  right. 
As  for  myself,  I  am  perfectly  willing  to  go  with 
you;  in  fact,  I  am  anxious  to  go,  and  have  special 
reasons  for  going."  And  then,  as  though  he  felt 
he  had  said  too  much,  the  doctor  added,  "I  have 
never  been  in  the  North,  and  it  would  be  a  pleasure 
to  go  with  some  one  whose  home  is  in  that  partic 
ular  part  of  the  country  where  I  desire  to  go. " 


156  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

"But  what  about  your  practice,  Doctor?" 

"Doctor  Brodhead  will  be  only  too  glad  to  take 
care  of  that,  and  it  is  not  so  lucrative  as  to  cause 
me  any  great  loss." 

"Then  it  is  settled,"  said  Mr.  Richards,  "and  we 
will  start  as  soon  as  you  say  the  word,  and  you  shall 
direct  the  journey  as  to  when  we  shall  travel  and 
when  we  shall  rest."  And  Mr.  Richards  saw  in  the 
doctor's  desire  to  go  North  what  he  had  surmised 
for  several  days,  that  the  doctor  was  in  love  with 
Mabel.  It  did  not  disconcert  him,  however,  for  a 
Southern  man  of  good  birth  and  one  who  seemed  to 
have  so  level  a  head  as  the  doctor  would  make  a 
very  satisfactory  son-in-law.  So  thought  Mr. 
Richards. 

"I  like  the  way  you  people  plan  without  consult 
ing  me."  It  was  Mabel  who  spoke,  though  the  men 
had  supposed  she  was  asleep.  "I  am  nearly  strong 
enough  to  travel  alone,  and  perhaps  can  tell  you 
something  that  will  surprise  you.  I  have  sat  up  a 
little  each  day  for  the  past  three  days.  Aunt  Tilda 
said  that  the  doctors  didn't  know  everything  and 
that  as  soon  as  you  knew  I  was  able  to  get  up  you 
would  tote  me  oH:  somewhere,  and  she  thought  I 
had  better  be  prepared." 

"Do  you  object  to  my  going  with  you,  Miss 
Mabel?" 

"Not  in  the  least,  Doctor;  I  want  you  to  go 
You  have  given  me  the  only  chance  I  have  had  to 
see  and  know  a  true  Southern  gentleman,  and  I 
want  to  return  the  compliment  by  being  able  to 
introduce  you  to  some  Northern  people  who  are 
different  from  most  of  those  you  have  met." 


RICHARD  VAUGHN  157 

"Have  3'ou  any  one  in  particular  in  mind  whom 
you  wish  me  to  meet?" 

"Perhaps  not,  but  I  know  cf  many  whose  com 
pany  you  would  no  doubt  enjoy.  But  why  do  you 
ask  if  there  is  any  one  in  particular?" 

"Perhaps  I  was  mistaken,  but  one  time  when 
you  were  not  exactly  answerable  for  what  you  said, 
I  imagined  you  thought  I  reminded  you  of  some 
one." 

"It  must  have  been  Mr.  Vaughn.  You  have 
always  made  me  think  of  him,  although  you  do  not 
look  a  bit  like  him;  but  somehow  you  both  have  the 
same  straightforward  way  of  saying  things,  that, 
while  it  does  not  always  set  well,  leaves  no  doubt  as 
to  what  you  mean. ' ' 

"I  would  like  to  meet  Dick." 

"Did  I  say  Dick?  How  careless  I  am.  I  should 
have  said  Mr.  Vaughn." 

"You  did  say  Mr.  Vaughn  this  time."  And  then 
Mabel  knew  that  there  had  been  times  wherein  she 
had  not  been  so  careful.  The  doctor  hastened  to 
assure  her  that  she  had  said  but  little  ether  than  to 
call  him  Dick  several  times  when  she  was  wander 
ing  in  her  mind. 

Mr.  Richards  wondered  that  the  doctor  should 
take  this  talk  of  Dick  Vaughn  so  calmly,  but  he 
argued  that  the  doctor  was  sure  enough  of  himself 
to  dare  to  cross  swords  with  any  one  in  a  matter  of 
this  kind,  and  his  prophetic  eye  told  him  that  as 
between  the  doctor  and  Dick  Vaughn,  the  doctor 
would  come  out  ahead. 

A  few  days  after  this  Mr.  Richards,  Mabel  and  the 
doctor  boarded  the  cars  for  their  trip  to  Boston. 


158  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

Everything  was  provided  that  could  be  thought  of 
for  Mabel's  comfort,  and  the  trip  was  made  as  easy 
as  possible.  The  first  day  was  the  hardest,  for  it 
was  made  in  a  slow  train,  which  brought  the  party 
from  Holton  to  Atlanta.  Here  they  found  a  quiet 
hotel  where  they  rested  for  a  day  before  taking  the 
fast  train  for  Norfolk,  Va.,  where  they  took  steamer 
for  New  York.  It  was  a  pleasant  trip,  and  when 
New  York  was  reached  Mabel  was  so  much 
improved  that  they  at  once  transferred  to  the  Fall 
River  line  of  steamers  and  continued  their  journey. 
A  short  trip  on  the  cars  from  Fall  River,  and 
Mabel  again  beheld  the  city  of  Boston,  in  which  all 
people  living  there  or  near  there  take  so  much 
pride. 

Half  an  hour  after  leaving  the  cars  in  Boston 
Mabel  was  in  her  mother's  arms  in  Cambridge. 
The  doctor  did  not  leave  the  party  until  he  saw 
Mabel  safely  in  her  own  home,  and  would  not  have 
left  then  if  the  Richards  could  have  had  their  way 
about  it.  He  stayed  to  a  noon-day  dinner,  how 
ever,  and  asked  how  he  could  meet  Mr.  Vaughn. 
The  story  then  came  out  of  Dick's  arrest,  trial  and 
release.  As  soon  as  Dick's  name  was  mentioned 
Mabel  knew  by  her  mother's  actions  that  something 
had  happened  to  him,  and  she  demanded  to  know 
at  once  what  it  was.  Mr.  Richards,  knowing  what 
he  had  to  contend  with  in  his  daughter,  commenced 
and  told  the  whole  story  from  the  beginning  to  the 
end,  telling  everything  he  knew  of  it. 

When  the  story  was  all  told  Mabel  said:  "I  must 
see  Dick  as  soon  as  I  can  just  to  tell  him  how  glad 
I  am  that  he  came  out  unhurt." 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  159 

"I  don't  think  you  had  better,  my  daughter.  You 
know  he  has  never  been  taken  back  into  the  bank, 
and  people  always  remember  the  wrong  part  of 
these  things." 

"I  cannot  see  where  the  harm  would  be,  mother. 
He  has  been  pronounced  innocent.  Of  course  Mr. 
Ballard  would  not  take  him  back  when  his  own  son 
was  the  thief  unless  he  decided  to  cast  off  his  son. 
Do  you  think  it  would  be  wrong  for  me  to  see  him, 
father?" 

"It  doesn't  seem  that  way  to  me,  Mabel,  but  you 
know  I  leave  those  things  to  your  mother." 

"What  do  you  think  about  it,  Doctor?"  said 
Mabel. 

"Please  excuse  me,  Miss  Mabel,  from  saying  any 
thing  on  this  subject,  but  I  assure  you  I  still  desire 
to  see  Mr.  Vaughn  myself,  and  will  if  your  father 
will  show  me  how  I  can  do  it." 

Mabel  gave  the  doctor  a  look  of  gratitude,  and  the 
subject  was  dropped. 


CHAPTER   XIV 

"Good  morning,  Mr.  Anderson."  It  was  Dick 
who  spoke,  and  it  was  on  the  first  morning  that  he 
started  in  work. 

Mr.  Anderson  looked  up  at  Dick  and  then  glanced 
tip  at  the  clock.  Finding  it  yet  lacked  ten  minutes 
of  seven,  he  said:  "I  see  you  are  in  good  season. 
It  must  be  hard  for  you  to  turn  out  this  early  after 
working  in  a  bank." 

"Oh,  I  don't  know.  I  have  had  a  few  lessons  in 
early  rising  since  I  worked  in  the  bank." 

"So  you  have,  so  you  have,"  said  Mr.  Anderson. 
"I  had  forgotten  that,"  and  he  smiled  as  though 
Dick  had  made  a  good  joke  at  his  own  expense. 
"Are  you  going  to  shovel  shavings  in  that  suit?" 

"It  is  the  poorest  I  have,  but  I  have  a  pair  of 
overalls  in  this  paper." 

"Put  them  on." 

Dick  did  as  requested. 

"Now,"  said  Mr.  Anderson,  "do  you  really  think 
you  could  earn  a  dollar  a  day  shoveling  shavings?" 

"I  don't  know,  sir,  but  I  can  try." 

"I'll  tell  you  what  you  do,  Dick;  you  tackle  those 
books  for  a  while.  My  bookkeeper  left  me  about  a 
week  ago,  and  all  I  have  done  has  been  to  chuck 
things  down  on  the  day  book  since  then.  You  see 
if  you  can  straighten  them  out,  and  we  will  defer 
the  shoveling  of  the  shavings  until  later  in  the 
week." 

160 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  161 

Dick  started  in  on  the  books,  and  by  night  had 
them  pretty  well  posted  up. 

A  few  days  after  this  Mr.  Anderson  came  in,  and 
finding  Dick  looking  over  some  of  the  old  accounts? 
said:  "What  are  you  hunting  for,  Dick?" 

"I  was  hunting  up  some  good,  plain  reasons  that 
I  could  present  to  you  which  would  induce  you  to 
let  me  open  a  new  set  of  books  that  would  be  easier 
to  keep  than  these  and  that  would  show  you  just 
huw  you  stood  at  any  time;  a  set  of  books  so 
arranged  that  you  would  know  just  what  you  made 
on  each  kind  of  goods  you  turned  out." 

"Well,  did  you  find  what  you  were  looking  for?" 

"I  think  I  have,  and  if  you  will  just  give  me  your 
attention  for  a  moment  I  will  try  and  explain  it  to 
you." 

"How  much  will  the  new  books  cost?" 

"I  don't  know  exactly,  but  somewhere  from  forty 
to  sixty  dollars." 

"And  when  you  get  these  new  books  in  running 
order,  3^ou  can  tell  me  how  much  I  am  making  on 
each  article  I  manufacture?" 

"Yes;  I  can  tell  you  how  much  you  are  making 
or  losing." 

"Good;  that's  well  put  in.  You  go  ahead  and 
get  the  books.  I  have  always  known  there  was 
something  the  matter  with  the  set  I  have,  but  I 
didn't  know  what  it  was." 

Dick  procured  the  new  books,  and  after  he  had 
his  new  system  of  bookkeeping  well  at  work  he  was 
able  to  show  Mr.  Anderson  where  some  leaks  could 
be  stopped  and  on  what  kind  of  furniture  he  was 
making  the  most. 


i6a  RICHARD    VAUGHN 

One  day,  after  Dick  had  been  in  Mr.  Anderson's 
employ  long  enough  for  that  gentleman  to  have  per 
fect  confidence  in  him,  Mr.  Anderson  came  into  the 
office  with  a  customer,  who  was  a  stranger  to  Dick, 
although  when  he  was  introduced  as  Mr.  Walker, 
Dick  recognized  the  name  as  one  he  had  seen  on  the 
books.  Mr.  Walker  was  owing  Mr.  Anderson 
eleven  hundred  dollars,  all  of  which  was  overdue. 
Dick  had  been  having  some  sharp  correspondence 
with  him  and  had  been  intending  to  go  out  to  Dor 
chester  to  see  him,  but  had  not  found  the  time  to  do 
so.  Mr.  Walker  had  come  in  to  make  a  settlement, 
so  Mr.  Anderson  told  Dick,  and  he  proceeded  at 
once  to  make  some  propositions.  He  offered  to 
settle  in  three  different  ways,  which  he  explained 
as  follows: 

"I  will  give  you  my  own  notes,  dividing  the  amount 
equally  and  letting  the  notes  run  three,  six,  nine 
and  twelve  months,  or  I  will  give  you  my  note,  with 
Mr.  Henry  Simonds  for  an  indorser,  making  the 
note  ten  months,  or  I  will  make  over  a  note  I  have 
in  my  pocket,  you  paying  me  the  difference  between 
this  note  and  my  bill.  The  note  is  for  sixteen  hun 
dred  dollars,  and  of  course  you  would  have  to  pay 
me  five  hundred  dollars,  and  you  would  have  to 
promise  me  that  you  would  not  put  this  note  in  the 
bank,  because  this  man  is  one  who  seldom  gives  a 
note  and  doesn't  care  to  have  it  known." 

Mr.  Anderson  said  he  thought  the  best  way  was 
to  take  the  four  notes,  as  he  did  not  want  to  be 
out  the  whole  of  it  for  ten  months.  He  did  not 
give  the  sixteen-hundred-dollar  note  any  considera 
tion. 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  163 

"Let  me  see  the  note  you  have  in  your  pocket," 
said  Dick. 

Mr.  Walker  hesitated  until  he  was  asked  again, 
and  then  produced  it.  Dick  took  it,  and,  although 
apparently  not  doing  so,  scrutinized  it  carefully. 

"We  will  take  this  note,"  said  Dick.  He  made 
out  the  check  for  five  hundred  dollars  and  pushed 
the  check  book  over  to  Mr.  Anderson  to  sign.  Mr. 
Anderson  at  first  thought  he  would  refuse,  but 
within  the  last  few  weeks  he  had  gotten  so  used  to 
doing  exactly  what  Dick  advised  that  he  took  up  the 
pen  and  signed  the  check. 

The  papers  were  all  fixed  and  the  exchange  of 
papers  made.  A  close  observer  would  have  seen 
that  Mr.  Walker  was  not  exactly  pleased  at  the  way 
the  thing  was  settled,  and,  for  that  matter,  Mr. 
Anderson  was  not  quite  at  ease  himself.  The  only 
man  who  was  really  at  ease  was  Dick,  who  smiled 
blandly  as  he  said:  Mr.  Walker,  let  me  see  that 
check  a  moment." 

Mr.  Walker  handed  out  the  check,  and  Dick  took 
out  the  note  and  wrote  on  the  back  of  it,  "Received 
five  hundred  dollars  on  account."  Then,  after  sign 
ing  Mr.  Anderson's  name  and  putting  his  own 
under  it,  he  put  the  note  in  his  pocket  and  com 
menced  tearing  the  check  into  very  small  pieces. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  said  Mr.  Walker,  as  he 
realized  what  was  being  done,  and  he  made  a  rush 
for  Dick  as  though  to  do  him  bodily  harm.  He 
landed,  however,  against  Jim  Anderson's  bulky 
form,  and  as  Jim  held  him  off  Dick  said: 

"It  means  just  this,  Mr.  Walker:  that  note  is  a 
forgery  and  we  don't  give  good  checks  for  forged 


1 64  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

notes,  although  we  might  be  safe  in  doing  so  in  this 
case,  for,  if  you  could  be  found  when  this  note 
became  due,  you  would  be  obliged  to  pay  it  or  go 
to  jail.  Now,  I  will  give  you  just  one  chance. 
There  is  eleven  hundred  dollars  still  due  on  this 
forged  note,  and  I  will  give  you  until  two  o'clock  to 
get  here  with  the  money.  If  you  are  not  here  by 
that  time  I  will  put  a  man  on  your  track  who  will 
land  you  behind  the  bars  before  six.  Perhaps  it 
would  be  a  good  idea  to  have  you  kept  in  sight,  any 
way.  I  have  had  a  little  experience  in  these  mat 
ters,  and  I  have  found  that  the  safest  way  is  the 
best." 

Dick  was  master  of  the  situation.  Jim  Anderson 
was  so  surprised  that  he  could  not  speak,  and  Mr. 
Walker  was  as  white  as  a  sheet.  He  was  completely 
cowed,  but  seemed  to  be  halting  between  two  opin 
ions.  Dick  noticed  it,  and,  divining  the  man's 
thought,  said: 

"Yes,  I  think  that  is  the  best  way.  If  you  pay 
the  money  out  of  what  you  have  secreted  about 
your  person  now,  you  don't  stand  any  chance  of 
having  this  forgery  shown  to  a  third  party,  and  at 
the  same  time  it  gives  me  no  chance  to  change  my 
mind." 

And  as  Dick  looked  Mr.  Walker  square  in  the 
eye,  that  gentleman  shoved  his  hand  down  into  an 
inside  pocket,  and,  pulling  out  a  roll  of  bills,  counted 
out  eleven  hundred  dollars,  put  the  rest  back  where 
he  had  taken  it  from  and  held  out  his  hand  for  the 
note.  Dick  deliberately  counted  the  money,  went 
to  the  safe  and  locked  it  up  in  the  cash  box,  after 
which  he  took  out  the  note,  examined  it  once  more 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  165 

and  then  handed  it  to  Mr.  Walker.  The  latter  gen 
tleman  at  once  walked  out  of  the  office  and  went 
hurriedly  down  the  street.  Dick  went  to  the  win 
dow  and  watched  him  out  of  sight.  When  he 
turned  from  the  window  he  saw  that  Mr.  Anderson 
had  not  moved  from  the  position  he  had  taken  ten 
minutes  before.  In  fact,  Dick's  boss  had  not  gotten 
over  his  surprise. 

"What  is  the  matter,  Mr.  Anderson?  Aren't  you 
feeling  well?' 

Mr.  Anderson  half  shook  himself  and  ejaculated : 
"Well,  I'll  be  damned!" 

"I  hope  not,"  said  Dick.  But  this  closed  the  con 
versation.  Mr.  Anderson  had  gone  out  into  the 
factory. 

About  a  month  after  this  little  episode  Mr. 
Walker  failed.  His  liabilities  were  wonderfully 
large,  and  his  assets  were  surprisingly  small. 

Jim  Anderson  was  reading  the  account  of  the 
failure  as  Dick  came  in. 

"Did  you  see  that  Walker  has  failed  and  stuck 
everybody?" 

"Has  he?"  said  Dick.  "How  much  did  he  stick 
you?" 

"Think  you  are  smart,  don't  you,  Dick?  Well,  I 
presume  there  are  worse  than  you  if  a  fellow  could 
only  find  them.  By  the  way,  I  heard  you  had  a 
better  offer,  or  rather  have  been  offered  more  wages 
than  I  am  giving  you.  What  are  you  going  to  do 
about  it?" 

"Who  told  you  anything  about  it?" 

"That  doesn't  make  any  difference.  It's  so,  isn't 
it?" 


166  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

"Yes,"  said  Dick,  "but  I  cannot  imagine  how  you 
came  to  know  of  it.  I  never  told  any  one  and  I  am 
pretty  sure  he  wouldn't." 

"That  is  all  right,  but  when  a  man  talks  in  a 
street-car  some  one  is  quite  sure  to  overhear,  and 
this  time  it  happened  to  be  one  of  my  own  family. 
You  were  offered  thirty  dollars  a  week  and  shorter 
hours  than  you  have  here.  You  told  the  fellow 
that  you  would  come  if  I  were  willing.  That  was 
two  weeks  ago,  and  you  haven't  said  a  word  to  me 
about  it.  Now  tell  me  about  it." 

"I  told  him  afterwards  that  you  were  not  willing, 
and  that  ended  it.  He  had  made  me  promise  that  I 
wouldn't  use  my  chance  to  go  with  him  just  to  get 
my  salary  raised.  I  wanted  to  do  the  square  thing 
by  both  of  you,  and  I  knew  of  no  other  way  to 
do  it." 

"So  you  did  the  square  thing  by  every  one  but 
yourself.  You  shall  not  lose  anything  by  it,  Dick. 
If  you  need  any  more  money  than  you  are  drawing 
now,  let  me  know  and  I  will  fix  it,  and  when  the 
end  of  the  year  comes  and  we  see  what  we 
have  done  this  year,  we  will  make  a  new  deal, 
and  I  don't  think  you  will  lose  anything  by  the 
deal,  either.  You  have  taken  a  lot  of  responsibility 
off  my  shoulders,  and  no  man  can  say  Jim  Ander 
son  ever  forgot  a  favor  or  ever  went  back  on  a 
friend." 

One  night  when  Dick  and  Frank  had  finished 
supper  and  started  up  to  their  room  they  were  met 
in  the  hallway  by  one  of  the  servants,  who  told 
them  they  were  wanted  in  the  parlor  by  the  land 
lady.  As  this  was  the  first  summons  of  the  kind 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  167 

that  they  had  ever  received  they  were  not  a  little 
surprised. 

"What  have  you  been  doing  now,  Frank?"  said 
Dick,  laughing.  "No  knowing  but  what  we  will 
both  get  the  g.b.  for  some  of  your  shines." 

Frank  was  as  sober  as  a  judge,  and  all  of  Dick's 
raillery  could  not  move  him.  He  was  fearful  that 
in  some  way  he  had  displeased  his  intended  mother- 
in-law,  and  he  was  more  than  ever  in  love  with  Olive 
Sargent. 

As  they  entered  the  parlor  they  could  see  two 
women,  and  it  was  easy  to  see  that  one  of  them — 
Mrs.  Sargent — was  weeping.  As  the  two  young 
men  stopped  at  the  parlor  door  Olive  came  forward 
to  meet  them.  She  had  been  trying  to  soothe  her 
mother,  but  she  herself  was  calm  and  collected. 
Mrs.  Sargent  was  one  who  gave  way  to  her  feelings 
easily;  in  fact,  she  seemed  to  enjoy  a  chance  to 
show  her  emotion.  This  was  well  known  to  the 
young  men,  and  still  the  actions  of  the  two  puzzled 
them  in  this  case. 

Mrs.  Sargent  tried  to  tell,  and  said:  "Oh,  Mr. 
Vaughn,  such  an  awful  thing  has  happened,  and  to 
think  it  should  have  happened  to  one  who  boarded 
so  long  with  me !  It  seems  only  yesterday  that  they 
were  here,  and  well,  and — and " 

She  could  go  no  farther,  but  broke  down  com 
pletely,  as  she  dropped  her  head  and  covered  her 
face  with  her  hands.  Olive  handed  Frank  a  tele 
gram,  which  the  young  men  both  read.  It  was 
addressed  to  Mrs.  Sargent,  and  the  body  of  the  mes 
sage  was:  "Please  notify  Mr.  Harley  Bean  that  his 
wife  is  dead. "  It  was  signed  by  Mrs.  Bean's  father. 


1 68  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

When  Mrs.  Sargent  regained  control  of  herself 
she  noticed  that  Frank  had  the  telegram,  and  she 
seemed  decidedly  hurt  that  in  some  way  she  had 
lost  a  chance  to  finish  the  story  in  her  own  way. 
She  looked  at  the  young  men  and  then  at  Olive,  in 
such  a  helpless  way  that  it  was  really  pitiful.  Then 
she  got  up  and  left  the  room,  but  as  she  was  going 
out  she  said:  "You  know  as  much  about  it  as  I  do. 
I  want  you  to  break  the  news  to  Mr.  Bean  as  gently 
as  you  can." 

While  they  had  been  in  the  parlor  Harley  Bean 
had  gone  up  to  his  room,  and  the  boys  knew  that  it 
would  not  be  long  before  he  would  be  in  to  see 
them,  for  ever  since  the  trial  they  had  spent  all  of 
their  evenings  together  when  they  were  all  at  home. 
Dick  took  the  telegram  and  started  upstairs,  but 
Frank  hesitated  between  following  Dick  and  spend 
ing  a  few  moments  with  Olive.  She  settled  it,  how 
ever,  by  waving  her  hand  towards  him  and  leaving 
him  at  once.  So  he  had  but  the  one  thing  to  do. 

Frank  bounded  upstairs  and  overtook  Dick  as  he 
was  entering  Harley 's  room,  and  before  Frank 
could  make  a  suggestion  Dick  had  handed  Harley 
the  telegram.  Harley  was  just  lighting  his  pipe, 
and  he  laid  the  message  down  until  he  had  finished ; 
then  he  drew  his  chair  to  the  table,  took  up  the 
message  and  read  it.  He  looked  up  at  the  boys 
then,  and  said,  "Where  did  you  get  this?" 

"Miss  Olive  handed  it  to  me  as  we  came  up," 
said  Frank. 

Harley  read  it  over  again  very  carefully,  and 
then,  without  a  word,  took  a  Western  Union  blank 
from  one  of  the  drawers  and  wrote  an  answer.  As 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  169 

he  finished  writing  Dick  reached  over  and,  taking 
up  what  he  had  written,  read  the  message.  It  was 
addressed  to  Mrs.  Bean's  father,  and  read:  "Are 
you  quite  sure?" 

Dick  tore  the  message  up  and  said:  "Harley,  you 
shall  not  disgrace  yourself  like  that,  not  if  I  can 
help  it  " 

"All  right,"  said  Harley,  "but  that  is  exactly 
what  I  would  like  to  know,  so  if  I  can't  send  that  I 
won't  send  any." 

"Would  you  really  have  sent  that  message, 
Harley?" 

'Why  not?  That  is  the  question  I  should  have 
asked  the  old  man  if  he  had  come  here  and  told  me 
she  was  dead.  I  am  more  interested  in  the  fact 
than  I  am  in  the  way  it  happened,  fur  if  I  were  sure 
she  would  not  call  on  me  again  I  wouldn't  dudge 
into  an  alley  every  time  I  see  a  woman  coming  who 
resembles  her." 

"I  can't  make  you  out,  Harley.  You  are  good  to 
your  friends,  and  I  am  surprised  to  know  how 
heartless  you  can  be  to  a  woman  with  whom  you 
could  not  live." 

"You  are  young  yet,  Dick.  You  and  Frank  have 
lots  to  learn.  Let  me  tell  you  again,  boys,  don't 
depend  on  what  you  call  friends.  There  aren't 
any." 

"I  suppose  it  was  pure  selfishness  that  made  you 
lend  me  money  when  I  was  out  of  work,  wasn't  it?" 

"I  suppose  that  is  the  reason  why  you  took  liber 
ties  with  my  telegram.  Am  I  right?" 

"I  have  a  mind  to  tell  you  something  that  will 
make  you  ashamed  of  yourself,  Harley." 


170  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

"Go  ahead  and  tell  it,  Dick.  It  will  be  a  new 
sensation." 

"All  right,  I  will.  Do  you  remember  the  day 
that  Mr.  Ballard  offered  me  five  thousand  dollars 
to  leave  Boston?  Yes,  I  see  you  do.  Well,  that 
very  day  Mr.  Ballard  offered  you  a  thousand  dollars 
if  you  would  induce  me  to  leave,  and  you  came  right 
up  to  my  room,  and,  knowing  you  might  have 
induced  me  to  go,  advised  me  by  all  means  to  stay 
right  here.  I  never  knew  it  until  about  two  weeks 
ago,  and  I  thought  I  would  humor  you  and  let 
you  keep  on  thinking  that  no  one  knew  about 
it  but  yourself,  but  I  have  broken  my  resolu 
tion  just  to  show  you  that  you  will  do  as  much 
for  a  friend  as  any  one.  Now,  what  have  you  to 
say  for  yourself?  Why  didn't  you  try  to  earn  that 
money?" 

Harley  looked  staggered  for  a  moment.  Then  he 
gave  his  head  a  toss  and  said:  "I  didn't  need  the 
money.  It  would  have  been  velvet  and  would  have 
gone  easy.  As  it  is  I  have  kept  you  here  and  can 
draw  on  you  when  I  like.  Don't  trust  to  so-called 
friends,  boys.  They  will  go  back  on  you  when  you 
least  expect  it." 

There  was  a  rap  on  the  door. 

"Mrs.  Sargent  says  will  Mr.  Bard  well  please 
come  down  to  the  parlor." 

Frank  went  down  three  steps  at  a  time.  Mrs. 
Sargent  was  waiting. 

"I  sent  for  you,  Mr.  Bardwell,  as  I  am  anxious  to 
know  how  Mr.  Bean  took  the  terrible  news,  and  if 
you  broke  it  to  him  as  gently  as  you  could. ' ' 

"We    could   not    have   broken    the    news    more 


RICHARD  VAUGHN  171 

gently,  Mrs.  Sargent,  and  I  am  sure  that,  although 
the  news  is  terrible,  he  is  quite  resigned." 

"Did  he  answer  the  telegram?" 

"Yes,  he  wrote  an  answer  at  once." 

"I  am  glad  of  that.  Her  father  will  be  glad  to 
know  that  he  holds  her  in  kindly  remembrance." 

"Yes,  ma'am,"  said  Frank,  not  knowing  what 
else  to  say,  and  turning  he  bounded  up  stairs  quicker 
than  he  came  down. 


CHAPTER    XV 

As  soon  as  Dr.  Lovelace  had  established  himself 
at  Young's  Hotel  he  called  on  Mr.  Richards  at  his 
place  of  business. 

"This  is  a  wonderfully  busy  city  you  have  here, 
Mr.  Richards,  and  this  street  seems  to  be  the  king 
pin  of  the  lot." 

"It  is,  in  its  line,  or  it  shares  that  honor  with 
North  Market,  which  is  on  the  other  side  of  the  big 
market  buildings.  How  would  you  like  to  go 
around  a  little  and  take  in  the  market  and  the 
Cradle  of  Liberty  you  have  heard  so  much  about?" 

"I  don't  think  I  should  take  your  time,  Mr.  Rich 
ards,  but  for  special  reasons  of  my  own  I  want  to 
meet  that  man  Dick  Vaughn.  I  have  a  little  private 
business  on  hand,  and  I  have  an  idea  from  what  I 
have  gleaned  of  him  that  he  is  just  the  one  I  need 
to  consult." 

"I  don't  know  where  Dick  is  or  what  he  is  doing, 
but  I  can  take  you  to  see  his  former  roommate,  who 
perhaps  can  tell  you  something  about  him." 

"I  would  be  obliged  to  you  if  you  would." 

The  doctor  stood  out  in  front  of  Mr.  Richard's 
store  for  a  while  after  this  conversation,  hardly 
knowing  what  was  the  right  thing  to  do.  To  him 
Market  street  was  a  near  approach  to  bedlam. 
Produce  of  all  kinds  and  in  quantities  such  us  he 
had  never  seen  before  were  either  blocking  up  the 
sidewalk  or  being  loaded  and  unloaded  to  and  from 
wagons.  There  was  more  buying  and  selling  going 

172 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  173 

on  than  he  ever  dreamed  could  be  carried  on  in  so 
small  a  space,  and  yet,  as  he  looked  up  and  down  the 
street,  he  only  saw  the  same  thing  being  done  every 
where.  Mr.  Richards  was  running  about  in  his 
shirtsleeves,  wearing  a  pair  of  overalls,  and  the  doc 
tor  could  hardly  bring  himself  to  believe  that  he 
was  the  same  gentleman  whom  he  had  known  on 
his  recent  journey  from  the  South. 

As  he  looked  up  at  the  massive  block  of  buildings 
opposite  he  saw  the  large  granite  building  known 
to  all  Bostonians  as  Quincy  Market,  the  lower  part 
of  which  was  used  as  a  market  and  the  upper  part 
as  the  warerooms  of  the  Ames  Plow  Company.  At 
the  west  end  of  this  building,  which  extended  from 
east  to  west  for  more  than  two  blocks,  was  Faneuil 
Hall,  but  perhaps  better  known  to  the  people  of 
America  as  the  Cradle  of  Liberty.  The  lower  part 
of  this  building  was  also  used  as  a  market,  and 
although  known  as  the  Faneuil  Hall  Market,  it  was 
considered  also  as  a  continuation  or  a  part  of  the 
great  Quincy  Market.  The  upper  part  of  this  build 
ing  was  the  hall,  and  the  speeches  given  there  in 
the  early  days  have  made  it  dear  to  the  heart  of 
every  Bostonian.  The  old-timer,  however,  only 
thinks  of  it  as  the  Cradle  of  Liberty,  and  in  his 
mind's  eye  he  still  sees  the  gatherings  of  young 
men  of  colonial  days  when,  known  as  the  Sons  of 
Liberty,  they  had  gathered  there  to  plan  against  the 
mother  country.  Doctor  Lovelace  had  read  of  it  in 
history,  and  it  seemed  to  him  that  the  historical  part 
of  it  had  passed  away,  or  rather  that  the  building 
had  been  desecrated  by  being  surrounded  by  so 
much  of  the  confusion  of  business. 


I74  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

Mr.  Richards  had  been  busy,  but  at  this  moment 
he  appeared  before  the  doctor.  He  had  slipped  on 
an  old  coat  and,  taking  the  doctor  by  the  arm,  said: 
"Come;  I  have  a  moment  now  and  will  introduce 
you  to  Frank. ' ' 

Who  Frank  was  the  doctor  did  not  know,  but  he 
allowed  himself  to  be  guided  to  the  place  of  busi 
ness  of  the  firm  of  H.  U.  Lemon  &  Co.,  where  he 
was  duly  presented  to  Mr.  Frank  Bardwell.  After 
the  introduction  he  turned  to  thank  Mr.  Richards, 
but  that  gentleman  had  already  left  the  place,  after 
telling  Frank  that  the  doctor  wanted  to  meet  Dick. 

It  was  a  busy  time  at  the  office  of  H.  U.  Lemon 
&  Co.,  and  as  Frank  had  never  heard  of  Doctor 
Lovelace  before,  he  hardly  knew  what  to  do.  The 
doctor  realized  how  busy  all  of  the  people  were  and 
was  wishing  himself  well  out  of  the  business  part 
of  the  city,  when  Harley  Bean  came  in.  This  was 
an  unusual  event,  but  Harley  could  always  be 
counted  on  for  unusual  doings  and  sayings,  and  no 
one  ever  thought  to  question  them.  Frank  saw  his 
way  out  at  once,  and  introducing  the  doctor  to 
Harley,  told  the  latter  of  the  doctor's  wish  to  meet 
Dick. 

"All  right,"  said  Harley,  as  he  shook  hands  with 
the  doctor,  "let  us  get  out  of  this  bedlam  and  let 
these  slaves  do  their  duty." 

The  doctor  was  equally  anxious  to  go,  and  Har 
ley  and  the  doctor  walked  through  Dock  Square  and 
passed  through  the  little  alley-way  into  State  street. 
The  change  in  the  surroundings  was  so  complete 
from  what  they  had  just  left  that  the  doctor  gave 
a  sigh  of  relief. 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  175 

"You  are  a  stranger  in  the  city,  I  see,"  said 
Harley. 

"I  reckon  you  are  right,  Mr.  Bean.  I  am  a 
stranger  in  a  strange  land.  I  would  like  to  stay  a 
stranger  to  the  pots  and  kettles  of  trade  that  T  have 
just  been  through  down  in  that  Market  street." 

"Don't  you  have  that  sort  of  thing  in  the  South, 
Doctor?" 

"Perhaps  so,  but  not  to  the  same  extent.  But 
how  did  you  know  that  I  was  from  the  South?' 

"That's  easy.  You  are  a  Southern  gentleman 
from  the  crown  of  your  head  to  the  soles  of  your 
feet,  but  if  you  want  a  more  definite  reason,  it  lies 
in  two  words:  you  'reckon'  and  we  'guess.'  ' 

The  doctor  laughed  and  thought  to  himself, 
"Here  is  a  genuine  Yankee  and  I  must  cultivate  his 
acquaintance." 

"So  you  want  to  find  Dick  Vaughn,  do  you?"  said 
Harley.  "Do  you  know  him?" 

"Never  saw  him  in  my  life." 

Harley  thought  to  himself,  "Here  is  something 
new.  I  must  cultivate  him." 

"So  you  like  the  looks  of  this  street  better  than 
the  one  we  just  left?" 

"Well  I  should  say  so.  That  was  all  hustle  and 
rush,  with  every  one  from  the  proprietor  down  in 
shirt  sleeves  and  overalls,  while  here  the  people  go 
about  in  a  dignified  manner.  The  buildings  are 
more  modern  in  appearance." 

"All  you  have  said  is  true,  but  how  many  times 
have  you  been  told  not  to  trust  to  appearances?  In 
reality,  Doctor,  those  people  you  have  just  been 
describing  and  whom  you  rubbed  up  against  in 


176  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

South  Market  street  are  the  slaves  of  commerce, 
who  bear  a  close  resemblance  to  the  old-time  slaves 
of  the  cotton  fields  of  the  South,  while  these  smooth 
looking  people  who  have  these  cabins  on  State 
street  are  the  overseers  and  weighmasters,  who 
weigh  in  the  results  and  who  use  the  lash  commonly 
known  as  three  per  cent,  a  month  when  the  basket 
doesn't  tip  the  scales  at  the  right  amount.  Let  us 
stand  here  a  moment  and  I  will  tell  you  who  some 
of  these  men  are.  Do  you  see  that  fine  looking  man 
coming  up  the  street?  To  look  at  him  you  would 
pick  him  out  as  one  of  the  most  benevolent  men  on 
earth.  Isn't  he  a  genial  old  duffer,  though?  He  is 
one  of  the  kind  who  takes  up  little  boys  on  his  knees 
and  tells  them  they  must  be  good  and  honest  if  they 
would  get  rich.  That  man  walking  with  him  is  the 
Reverend  Mr.  Book,  of  whom  you  have  heard  so 
much.  He  is  most  likely  striking  his  friend  for  a 
hundred  or  more  for  some  good  work  that  he  is 
pushing,  and  he  will  get  it,  too,  for  Joe  Whiting  is 
a  liberal  man  when  it  comes  to  religious  matters. 
Whiting  is  a  very  rich  man.  He  owns  a  big  slice 
of  one  of  the  largest  lumber  companies  in  New 
England;  owns  a  large  hotel  in  the  Back  Bay  dis 
trict,  and  real  estate  until  you  can't  rest.  He  has  a 
little  dingy  office  around  here  in  Kilby  street,  pre 
sided  over  by  a  fellow  named  Tom  Moulton,  and 
Tom  is  certainly  a  bird.  You  can  get  all  the 
money  you  want  of  Tom — anything  from  a 
hundred  to  $100,000.  All  you  have  to  do  is  to 
put  tip  four  times  the  amount  in  collateral,  give 
your  note  for  the  amount  you  want,  and  he  will 
give  you  the  money,  minus  from  three  to  five  per 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  177 

cent,  a  month  for  the  time  for  which  the  note  is 
made  out." 

The  doctor  looked  at  his  newly-found  friend  in 
wonder,  and  then,  as  lie  espied  a  face  he  had  seen 
before,  he  said:  "There  is  a  man  I  saw  in  Market 
street.  Do  you  suppose  he  is  up  here  getting 
weighed?" 

"That  man,"  said  Harley,  "is  the  only  H.  U. 
Lemon,  the  head  of  the  great  commission  house  of 
H.  U.  Lemon  &  Co.,  for  whom  Frank  Bardwell 
works.  You  can  just  bet  your  bottom  dollar  that  if 
he  is  up  here  getting  weighed  he  has  the  weigh- 
master  fixed.  He  is  what  you  might  call  a  peach 
with  a  cherry  finish.  He  is  one  of  the  commercial 
slaves,  but  he  is  his  own  boss.  He  bought  his 
freedom.  You  see,  he  started  in  as  a  commission 
man  and  fought  the  State  street  weighmasters  until 
he  got  on  to  their  game,  and  then  he  opened  a  little 
weighing  shop  of  his  own.  Of  course  he  can  only 
handle  the  smaller  fry,  but  they  do  say  he  handles 
them  without  gloves." 

As  Mr.  Lemon  passed  by  with  another  gentleman 
he  was  heard  to  say,  "Just  take  it  to  the  Lord  in 
prayer;  that's  all  you  have  to  do." 

Harley  laughed.  "He  is  up  to  his  eld  tricks. 
Most  likely  that  fellow  handed  him  a  hard-luck 
story,  and  he  just  turned  him  over  to  the  Lord. 
It's  a  way  he  has  of  crawling  out  when  some  poor 
devil  presses  him  too  close." 

"What  is  that  little  old  building  at  the  head  of  the 
street,  Mr.  Bean?  It  looks  queer  with  these  sur 
roundings." 

"That  is  the  old  state-house.     Some  of  the  enter- 


178  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

prising  young  men  of  the  town  have  tried  to  have  it 
removed,  but  our  people  have  a  large  amount  of 
sentiment  mixed  up  with  their  money-grabbing 
propensities,  although  I  have  thought  that  at  some 
time  some  of  the  more  American  would  discover 
the  English  emblems  on  the  old  building  and  insist 
that  those  remainders  of  our  former  servitude  should 
be  effaced.  But  you  wanted  to  see  Dick.  Shall  we 
go  now?  It  is  quite  a  way  from  here.  Dick  used 
to  be  an  understrapper  in  the  office  of  one  of  these 
weighmasters,  but  he  knew  too  much  and  they 
forced  him  into  other  servitude  in  another  line  up 
in  the  Wareham  street  district." 

"If  Mr.  Vaughn  is  as  busy  as  your  friend  Bard- 
well  I  think  it  would  be  just  as  well  to  wait  until  I 
could  see  him  somewhere  else.  My  time  is  all  my 
own,  and  I  can  wait.  But  am  I  not  taking  too 
much  of  your  time?  You  have  been  very  kind,  I 
am  sure.  You  see,  I  am  not  as  apt  as  you  are,  and 
I  cannot  make  you  out.  Are  you  a  slave  or  a 
weighmaster?" 

"Harley  Bean  is  neither  a  slave  nor  a  slave- 
driver,  but  a  pure  type  of  the  true-born  American 
citizen,  who  kneels  to  no  man  and  will  allow  no  man 
to  kneel  to  him;  is  rich  in  experience,  rich  in 
health,  in  face  is  rich  in  everything  but  money,  and 
is  a  fair  judge  of  whiskey.  That  reminds  me  that  I 
am  neglecting  my  privileges.  Let's  take  a  drink." 

Harley  led  the  way  into  a  bar-room  and  the  two 
men  were  soon  enjoying  a  social  glass. 

"You  are  fortunate,  Mr.  Bean,  in  not  being 
beholden  to  either  class,  for  whom  you  seem  to  have 
no  particular  use. ' ' 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  179 

"Fortunate!  I  should  say  so ;  but  not  more  for 
tunate  than  any  one  may  be,  if  he  will  make  up  his 
mind  to  rise  above  the  petty  annoyances  of  his  sur 
roundings.  I  never  trouble  trouble." 

"Hello,  Harley!  I  have  been  looking  for  you 
everywhere.  Took  in  every  gin  shop  in  the  dis 
trict.  The  city  editor  wants  you  right  away." 

It  was  a  boy  from  the  Herald  office  who  spoke, 
but  Harley  took  no  notice  of  him  until  the  boy  had 
succeeded  in  getting  hold  of  his  coat,  when  he  said: 
"Damn  that  city  editor!  He  will  oblige  me  to 
change  my  beat  next.  Look  here,  boy;  you  go 
back  and  tell  the  city  editor  that  you  found  me  at 
Young's  dining  with  a  Southern  politician,  and 
taking  notes  to  beat  the  band.  Do  you  hear  me?" 

"Taking  drinks,  you  mean,"  said  the  boy,  as  he 
dodged  a  blow  from  Harley's  hand  and  bounded 
out  of  the  bar-room. 

"Perhaps  we  had  better  make  that  dining  story 
come  true,  Mr.  Bean." 

"Just  as  you  like,  Doctor,  or  you  can  go  around 
to  the  hole-in-the-wall  and  dine  with  me.  The  feed 
isn't  as  good  as  it  is  at  Young's,  but  you  get  more 
for  your  money  and  you  can  help  yourself." 

"No,"  said  the  doctor,  "we  will  go  to  Young's, 
and  you  shall  be  my  guest. ' ' 

"All  right,  Doctor,  as  long  as  you  force  me." 

"Shall  we  take  a  cab?" 

"Cab!"  said  Harley,  laughing.  "We  are  within 
a  hundred  feet  of  Young's  now." 

"We  may  be,  but  I  see  nothing  that  looks  natural, 
and  I  am  stopping  at  Young's." 

"That  whiskey  must  have  been  too  much  for  you, 


i8o  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

Doctor,  or  else  you  entered  the  house  from  the 
Court  Square  side  before." 

The  latter,  however,  was  the  fact.  The  doctor 
had  never  entered  the  hotel  from  the  Washington 
street  side,  and  it  puzzled  him,  as  it  has  many 
others. 

After  lunch  the  two  parted,  Harley  to  see  what 
the  city  editor  wanted  of  him  and  the  doctor  to 
while  away  the  time  as  best  he  could  until  five- 
thirty,  when  Harley  was  to  call  for  him  again  and 
take  him  to  see  Dick. 

At  five-thirty  Harley  was  there  to  keep  his  engage 
ment. 

It  was  Thursday  evening,  and  for  that  reason  it 
was  Frank's  evening  out,  as  he  and  Olive  still  kept 
up  their  methodical  ways  in  that  regard. 

Harley  wanted  to  bring  Dick  around  to  the  hotel 
and  have  the  meeting  there,  but  the  doctor  had 
other  plans.  He  explained  to  Harley  that  he 
wanted  to  meet  Dick  first  just  to  find  out  what  kind 
of  a  fellow  he  was,  and  he  would  rather  meet  him 
as  a  friend  of  Harley's  than  to  have  it  known  that 
he  had  asked  to  meet  him. 

This  being  the  understanding,  Harley  brought 
the  doctor  to  Mrs.  Sargent's  to  dinner  as  his  guest, 
and  introduced  him  to  several  of  Mrs.  Sargent's 
boarders  as  a  friend  of  his  from  Georgia,  whom  he 
was  trying  to  show  a  touch  of  high  life. 

Later  in  the  evening  Dick  was  invited  into  Har 
ley's  room  to  meet  the  doctor.  As  soon  as  Dick 
found  out  that  the  doctor  was  from  Georgia  he 
asked  him  if  he  had  ever  been  in  Holton.  The  doc 
tor  had  passed  through  there  several  times,  so  he 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  181 

said,  and  in  this  way  threw  Dick  off  the  track. 
Before  he  left,  however,  he  told  Dick  the  whole 
story  of  Miss  Richards'  sickness  and  of  his  coming 
home  with  her. 

"Had  you  told  me  this  earlier  in  the  evening," 
said  Dick,  "I  should  have  gone  to  her  at  once.  As 
it  is,  I  will  call  to-morrow  and  ask  after  her  at 
least." 

The  doctor  also  told  Dick  a  part  of  what  Mabel 
had  said  about  him  while  she  was  out  of  her  head, 
and  he  said  that  it  was  the  things  she  said  about 
him  then  that  made  him  want  to  meet  Dick. 

"I  have  not  told  you,"  said  the  doctor,  "why  I 
wanted  to  meet  you.  That  can  wait  until  the  next 
time  we  meet,  which  I  trust  will  be  soon.  I  have 
wonderfully  strong  impressions,  and  I  have  been 
impressed  almost  since  the  first  time  I  heard  your 
name  that  you  were  the  man  for  whom  I  had  been 
hunting,  and  now  I  am  satisfied." 

Dick  listened  intently.  He  liked  the  way  the 
doctor  talked,  and  he  felt  that  whatever  the  scheme 
was  that  the  doctor  had  it  would  be  worth  listening 
to  at  least.  To  help  matters  along,  he  invited  the 
doctor  to  call  on  him  at  Jim  Anderson's  office  the 
next  day,  and  the  young  men  parted  for  the  night. 

Instead  of  going  to  the  office  the  next  morning, 
Dick  took  an  early  car  for  Cambridge,  and  rang  the 
bell  at  the  residence  of  Mr.  Richards  before  that 
gentleman  had  left  for  his  place  of  business;  in 
fact,  the  family  had  just  finished  breakfast  as  he 
arrived.  Mr.  Richards  met  him  in  the  parlor,  and 
after  a  friendly  greeting  between  the  two  gentle 
men,  Dick  said: 


i8a  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

"I  heard  only  yesterday  that  your  daughter  had 
returned  from  the  South,  and  that  she  had  been 
very  sick,  and  I  came  at  once  to  see  how  she  is,  and 
also  to  know  when  I  could  see  her." 

"I  am  glad  you  came,  Dick.  Mabel  has  been 
very  sick,  and  is  still  far  from  well,  although  we  feel 
that  she  is  out  of  danger.  She  is  young  and  has  a 
good  constitution,  and  we  think  she  will  soon  be  all 
right  again.  I  am  glad  you  have  come,  as  she  has 
asked  for  you  several  times,  and  so  far  we  have  not 
advanced  any  conversation  in  regard  to  you  or  your 
changed  condition.  Women  look  upon  these  things 
differently  from  what  we  do,  Dick,  and — and — 
Well,  perhaps  I  had  better  call  Mrs.  Richards  and 
let  her  talk  to  you  on  the  subject." 

Mr.  Richards  hesitated  in  his  talk  and  seemed 
hardly  equal  to  the  occasion.  He  had  always  liked 
Dick  and  had  rather  encouraged  his  suit,  but  Mrs. 
Richards  had  not  altogether  lost  her  influence  with 
him.  Dick  was  surprised  at  what  Mr.  Richards  said 
and  was  anxious  to  know  what  it  all  meant,  but  he 
offered  no  protest  when  Mr.  Richards  went  to  the 
door  and  called  his  wife. 

Mrs.  Richards  was  a  woman  of  strong  convictions. 
She  was  of  old  Puritan  stock,  and  if  there  was  one 
thing  mere  than  another  that  she  loved  to  dwell 
upon,  it  was  the  fact  that  no  breath  of  suspicion  had 
ever  rested  upon  any  one  of  her  family. 

As  she  came  into  the  parlor  she  greeted  Dick 
quite  coolly.  She  called  him  Mr.  Vaughn — some 
thing  that  she  had  not  done  for  a  long  time.  Then 
she  chose  a  stiff-backed  chair,  smoothed  out  her 
dress  and  was  ready  to  repel  boarders.  She  had 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  183 

placed  herself  decidedly  on  the  defensive,  and  was 
waiting  for  some  one  to  strike  the  first  blow.  Dick 
did  not  feel  called  upon  to  commence,  and  as  both 
he  and  Mrs.  Richards  looked  at  Mr.  Richards,  that 
gentleman  proceeded  to  make  himself  as  uncomfort 
able  as  he  could,  and  then  said: 

"I  sent  for  you,  mother,  because  I  wanted  you  to 
tell  Dick  just  how  you  felt  about  his  calling  on 
Mabel." 

"Was  it  that,  father,  or  was  it  that  you  did  not 
have  the  courage  of  your  convictions  in  this  matter?" 

She  did  not  wait  for  an  answer,  but  turned  to 
Dick  and  continued:  "Mr.  Vaughn,  I  never  shirk 
my  duty,  and  I  have  felt  that  it  would  be  my  duty 
to  have  a  talk  with  you  if  you  insisted  on  coming  to 
see  Mabel." 

Mr.  Richards  quietly  got  up  and  left  the  room. 

"Of  course,"  she  continued,  "we  respect  you  and 
we  feel  that  you  may  not  be  at  all  to  blame  for  what 
has  happened,  but  we  have  our  daughter's  future  to 
look  after.  You  had  a  good  position  in  the  bank 
and  you  lost  it.  We  will  not  discuss  how  you  lost  it 
or  go  at  all  into  the  merits  of  the  case;  we  will  only 
take  the  facts  as  they  would  appear  to  an  outside 
party.  We  do  not  want  a  breath  of  suspicion  to 
ever  have  been  breathed  about  any  one  who  ever 
even  called  upon  Mabel.  After  saying  what  I  have 
you  will  not  be  surprised  if  I  ask  you  not  to  call  here 
again." 

Dick  was  very  pale,  but  he  was  calm  and  col 
lected. 

"No,  Mrs.  Richards,  I  am  not  surprised  after  the 
precaution  you  took  to  prepare  me.  I  have  even 


i34  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

gotten  over  being  surprised  that  professed  Chris 
tians,  whom  we  would  naturally  suppose  would  be 
the  first  ones  to  extend  the  helping-  hand,  prove  to 
be  the  first  ones  to  turn  us  down,  and  that  without 
a  hearing.  Now,  Mrs.  Richards,  I  have  a  word  to 
say  to  you.  I  have  never  injured  any  one;  I  have 
a  better  position  to-day  than  I  ever  had  before;  I 
am  getting  a  larger  salary  and  have  better  pros 
pects,  and  I  demand  one  thing:  first,  I  want  you 
to  tell  Mabel  that  I  have  called  to  ask  after  her,  and 
when  she  is  well  enough  to  see  me  I  want  one  inter 
view  with  her. ' ' 

"But  suppose  I  do  not  see  fit  to  comply  with  your 
demands?" 

"Mrs.  Richards,  you  know  that  Mabel  would  do 
nothing  against  your  wishes,  and  you  need  have  no 
fear  from  that  quarter.  I  promise  not  to  try  to 
influence  her,  but  my  demand  must  be  complied 
with ;  it  is  my  right.  What  is  my  answer?" 

Dick  had  risen  to  his  feet,  and  his  handsome  face 
and  figure  towered  high  above  Mrs.  Richards.  She 
rose  also,  and  in  an  undecided  sort  of  a  way,  said: 
"You  shall  have  your  wish,  Mr,  Vaughn." 

"Then  I  shall  expect  you  to  send  for  me  within  a 
week. ' '  And  Dick  bowed  himself  out. 


CHAPTER   XVI 

Doctor  Lovelace,  according  to  previous  agree 
ment,  found  his  way  to  the  office  of  the  furniture 
factory  of  Jim  Anderson,  where  he  found  Dick,  who 
was  feeling  quite  blue  after  his  visit  to  the  home  of 
Mabel  Richards. 

Dick  had  explained  part  of  his  troubles  to  Jim 
Anderson,  and  that  gentleman  was  swearing  mad. 

"That  is  the  way  with  these  people,"  said  he. 
And  then  he  stated  what  he  thought  ought  to  be 
done  with  them,  interspersing  his  remarks  with 
frequent  oaths. 

The  doctor's  coming  piit  an  end  to  this  conversa 
tion.  After  being  introduced  to  the  doctor,  Jim 
went  out,  and  the  two  young  men  were  left  alone. 

"I  came  up  here,"  said  the  doctor,  "with  many 
misgivings,  as  I  was  afraid  I  would  not  have  a 
chance  to  talk  with  you  this  morning  en  account  of 
your  duties,  and  I  am  anxious  to  tell  you  my  story 
at  once  and  see  if  I  cannot  interest  you  in  my 
behalf.  I  know  you  have  a  sweetheart  of  your  own, 
and  I  feel  that  a  man  who  is  Ijved  by  such  a  splen 
did  character  as  Mabel  Richards  must  be  one  who 
would  help  me  out  of  my  trouble  if  any  one  would." 

Dick  looked  at  the  doctor  in  astonishment,  and 
asked  how  he  came  into  possession  of  the  informa 
tion. 

The  doctor  hesitated,  and  then  said:  "If  it  is  a 
secret  perhaps  I  had  better  say  nothing.  I  was 

185 


186  RICHARD    VAUGHN 

with  Miss  Mabel  when  she  was  out  of  her  head  with 
the  fever,  and  if  you  don't  know  that  she  loves  you, 
you  can  set  your  mind  at  rest  from  this  on." 

Dick  had  liked  the  doctor  from  the  first,  and  he 
was  now  drawn  to  him  enough  to  tell  his  story 
briefly  and  show  how  matters  were  with  him. 

"So  it  seems  we  are  both  in  trouble,"  said  the 
doctor.  "That  being  the  case,  I  am  ready  to  make 
a  compact  with  you  to  help  each  other  out  before  I 
commence  my  story.  Do  you  dare?" 

"Go  ahead  with  your  story,  Doctor.  It  is  a  bad 
day,  and  there  will  be  no  one  in.  It  is  really  sort 
of  an  off  day  with  me  anyhow.  As  for  a  compact, 
I  think  I  would  dare  do  anything  as  I  feel  to-day." 

The  doctor  commenced  at  once : 

"I  will  not  tire  you  with  a  long  recital  of  my 
life's  history,  but  I  have  known  Laura  Morgan  from 
her  birth.  She  is  several  years  younger  than  I  am, 
and  still  she  is  of  age,  so  I  must  have  a  little  the 
best  of  you  in  that  direction.  For  years  we  were 
looked  upon  as  intended  for  each  other.  Old 
Colonel  Morgan  was  a  fast  friend  of  our  family  and 
seemed  to  look  upon  me  as  a  son.  Three  years  ago 
Mrs.  Morgan  died,  and  it  broke  the  colonel  up  in 
bad  shape.  Laura  had  the  care  of  the  house  and  all 
thoughts  of  an  early  marriage  were  driven  out  of  our 
heads.  Not  many  months  after  Mrs.  Morgan's 
death  a  woman  came  to  the  colonel's  house.  Where 
she  came  from  or  what  she  came  for  no  one  seemed 
to  know,  but  she  struck  me  at  first  sight  as  one  of 
the  most  pronounced  types  of  the  adventuress  that 
I  had  ever  seen.  After  a  little  time  she  seemed  to 
take  the  place  in  the  household  formerly  occupied 


RICHARD    VAUGHN  187 

by  Laura,  and  about  this  same  time  she  took  a 
decided  dislike  to  me.  She  managed  in  some  way 
best  known  to  herself  to  keep  us  apart  as  much  as 
possible.  Laura  would  say  but  little  about  her,  but, 
at  the  same  time,  seemed  dreadfully  afraid  of 
her. 

"Things  went  on  in  this  way  until  about  eighteen 
months  ago,  when  one  morning  the  little  town 
awoke  to  the  fact  that  the  colonel  had  married,  or, 
as  the  townspeople  put  it,  Mrs.  Blake  had  married 
the  colonel.  As  soon  as  I  thought  it  proper  I 
called,  hoping  now  that  the  old  hag  had  secured  the 
prize  she  had  been  fishing  for  she  would  be  more 
considerate  of  my  feelings.  I  was  mistaken  in  this, 
however,  and  instead  of  being  invited  in,  was 
ordered  away  from  the  house  by  the  new  Mrs.  Mor 
gan.  I  heard  afterwards  that  Laura  was  sick,  but 
no  doctor  that  I  ever  heard  of  was  called  to  see  her. 
Finally  it  was  noised  about  that  Laura  had  been 
sent  away  to  a  health  resort,  but  where  no  one 
seemed  to  know;  neither  could  I  find  out.  I  was 
sure  that  unless  she  had  been  prejudiced  against  me 
I  should  hear  from  her,  but  no  letter  ever  came.  I 
tried  to  forget  her  and  think  that  a  girl  who,  having 
known  me  all  her  life,  could  be  so  easily  turned 
against  me  was  not  worthy  of  consideration,  but 
this  thought  went  as  quickly  as  it  came. 

"Accidentally  I  heard  that  the  present  Mrs.  Mor 
gan  at  one  time  lived  in  Boston,  and  from  that 
moment  I  was  impressed  that  I  must  come  up  here, 
and  here  I  am.  You  have  listened  attentively,  and 
I  thank  you  for  it.  It  is  a  strange  story,  and  most 
likely  you  think  I  am  crazy  to  come  here  on  so  slen- 


i88  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

der  a  clew,  but  here  I  am  and  here  I  shall  stay  until 
I  know  I  am  on  the  wrong'  track." 

"But  if  she  is  here  how  can  you  expect  to  find 
her?  This  is  a  large  city." 

"Yes,  I  know  it  is  a  large  city,  but  if  she  is  here, 
I  am  sure  she  is  in  some  school  if  she  is  well,  or  in 
some  hospital  if  she  is  sick.  In  either  case  I  will 
look  them  all  over,  but  I  wanted  a  friend  to  consult 
with  and  I  came  to  you." 

"You  did  right  in  coming  to  me,  and  I  will  surely 
do  all  I  can  ft-r  you,  which  I  fear  will  not  be  much, 
as  I  don't  seem  to  think  of  any  plan  of  operation. 
I  will  put  on  my  thinking  cap,  however,  and  I  trust 
something  will  come  of  it.  By  the  way,  would  you 
mind  if  I  took  two  friends  into  my  confidence  in 
this  matter?  You  have  met  them.  I  mean  Harley 
Bean  and  Frank  Bard  well." 

"I  will  leave  it  to  you  to  do  as  you  think  best 
about  that,  but  isn't  that  man  Bean  rather  a  super 
ficial  fellow?  He  struck  me  that  way." 

"He  might  strike  you  that  way,  but  I  have  found 
that  Harley  is  anything  but  superficial.  He  is  a 
newspaper  man  by  trade  and  a  detective  by  nature, 
and  being  good  at  both,  it  makes  a  combination  that 
is  hard  to  beat.  He  may  be  a  little  peculiar,  but 
we  are  all  of  us  that." 

Dick  had  a  commission  for  the  doctor,  who  prom 
ised  to  look  after  it  at  once.  It  was  to  find  out  how 
Dick  stood  with  Mabel;  also  how  Mr.  Richards 
looked  upon  the  matter,  and  if  the  mother  was 
strong  enough  to  bring  them  all  over  to  her  way  of 
thinking. 

This  same  night  the  doctor's  story  was  told  to 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  189 

Frank  and  Harley.  Frank  saw  only  the  pathetic 
side  of  it,  and  as  Dick  told  each  minute  detail, 
Frank  would  break  out  with  little  exclamations  of 
pity  cr  surprise.  Harle)T  seemed  to  take  the  recital 
differently.  He  did  not  ask  a  question  or  say  a 
word  in  regard  to  the  case,  and  one  who  did  not 
knew  him  would  have  said  that  he  did  not  take 
much  interest  in  it,  but  he  smoked  and  thought  and 
took  in  every  word  that  Dick  had  to  say. 

When  Dick  had  finished  the  story  he  added:  "Of 
course  there  is  but  one  thing  for  us  to  do  in  this 
matter,  and  that  is  to  help  him  to  get  at  all  the 
schools  and  hospitals." 

"Doesn't  he  want  to  look  into  the  Old  Ladies' 
Home,  too?"  said  Harley 

"What  a  question,  Harley!  Why  would  he  want 
to  look  through  that?  She  is  a  )roung  woman." 

"Yes,  that's  so,"  said  Harley.  And  he  got  up 
and  left  the  room. 

The  next  evening  the  four  young  men  met  in 
Dick's  room  to  report  progress  The  doctor  had 
to  tell  that  he  had  called  on  Mabel  and  found  her 
dcing  nicely  under  the  care  of  their  own  family 
physician. 

"But,"  said  he,  "I  was  headed  off  from  speaking 
of  you  by  Mrs.  Richards,  who  asked  me  not  to  men 
tion  your  name.  I  was  given  to  understand  that 
Mabel  had  been  told  you  were  out  cf  town.  I  drew 
my  own  inference,  and  I  feel  that  the  time  will  come 
when  I  can  do  you  more  good  than  I  can  now." 

Dick  was  obliged  to  be  contented  with  this,  and  it 
was  well  fcr  his  peace  of  mind  that  he  could  take  a 
philosophical  view  of  the  matter  and  wait. 


i9o  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

Dick  told  the  doctor  that  he  had  followed  his  own 
judgment  and  told  Harley  and  Frank  all  about  his 
affairs  with  Laura  Morgan,  and  he  also  assured  him 
that  as  all  four  were  now  interested  in  a  common 
cause,  he,  the  doctor,  must  feel  that  he  was  sur 
rounded  by  friends  and  be  free  to  say  anything  he 
wished.  After  a  little  talk  on  the  subject  of  the 
doctor's  affairs,  which  was  entered  into  by  all  pres 
ent,  the  doctor  said: 

"You  all  don't  know  how  pleased  I  am  that  I  fol 
lowed  my  impressions  in  regard  to  hunting  up  Mr. 
Vaughn,  and  as  my  impressions  were  right  on  this 
one  point,  I  also  trust  they  will  prove  right  in  the 
other  and  that  I  shall  find  the  young  lady.  You 
people  of  the  North  are  said  to  be  more  systematic 
than  we  of  the  South,  and  I  trust  you  have  already 
originated  some  plan  whereby  I  may  know  of  all  the 
schools  about  here  and  how  I  shall  get  at  them.  I 
long  to  go  to  work  at  once,  for  although  the  plan 
ning  may  devolve  upon  you,  the  work  must  be  done 
by  myself." 

"That's  a  good  speech."  said  Harley.  "It's  as 
good  as  I  could  make  myself,  but  the  only  thing  you 
have  done  since  you  have  been  here  is  the  worst 
thing  you  could  have  done." 

"But  I  have  not  done  a  thing,  my  good  fellow, 
and  so  do  not  understand  what  you  mean." 

Harley  paid  no  attention  to  this  answer,  but  said: 
"How  old  is  Colonel  Morgan?" 

"He  is  nearly  seventy.  But  what  has  that  to  do 
with  it?" 

"How  much  is  he  worth?" 

The  doctor  was  a  little  irritated.     Harley  was  ask- 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  191 

ing  these  questions  without  looking  at  him.  Dick 
gave  the  doctor  a  look  which  meant,  "Answer  him," 
and  the  doctor  understood  and  continued: 

"About  three  hundred  thousand,  I  should  say." 

"Suppose  the  colonel  should  die;  to  whom  would 
the  money  go?" 

"I  never  thought  about  it  before,  but  it  would  go 
to  the  daughter.  A  good  part  of  it  comes  from  her 
mother's  father,  and  his  will  would  necessarily  be 
respected." 

"Suppose  there  were  no  daughter;  then  where 
would  it  go?" 

"To  the  colonel's  wife,  I  suppose.  But  what  are 
you  driving  at,  if  I  may  ask?" 

"I  looked  one  school  over  to-day,"  said  Harley, 
"but  she  wasn't  there." 

The  doctor  jumped  to  his  feet. 

"Look  here,  Mr.  Bean,  that  is  my  work." 

"Not  so  fast,  my  young  buck.  If  you  put  your 
case  into  our  hands  we  must  have  some  of  the  fun. 
You  seem  to  forget  that  you  are  playing  a  game 
with  an  adventuress  and  that  she  has  some  strong 
reason  for  wanting  to  keep  you  and  the  girl  apart. 
I  told  you  that  the  only  thing  you  had  done  since 
you  arrived  here  was  the  worst  thing  you  could 
have  done.  You  went  to  Young's  Hotel  and  regis 
tered.  If  the  girl  is  here  under  surveillance,  you 
are  also  in  the  same  box.  What  you  must  do  now 
is  to  pay  your  bill  at  Young's  and  order  your  mail 
sent  to  Palace  Hotel,  San  Francisco.  Have  your 
baggage  taken  to  the  depot,  and  instead  of  having 
it  checked,  have  another  baggageman  bring  it  up 
here.  You  can  have  the  room  next  to  this;  I 


i92  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

engaged  it  for  you  to-day.  After  you  get  settled 
you  can  write  to  San  Francisco  for  your  mail." 

Harley  while  talking  looked  at  no  one;  he  played 
with  his  pipe  and  looked  anywhere  but  at  his  listen 
ers.  On  the  faces  of  the  young  men  was  depicted 
in  turn  astonishment,  surprise  and  admiration. 

No  one  spoke  for  a  few  moments  after  Harley  had 
finished.  The  doctor's  impulse  was  to  go  and  shake 
his  hand,  but  beginning  to  understand  him  he  only 
said: 

"I  will  do  all  you  say,  Mr.  Bean.  Have  you  any 
thing  further  to  offer?" 

"Yes;  get  a  business  suit  like  Dick's  and  drop  the 
handle  to  your  name  and  become  plain,  John,  Jim, 
or  whatever  your  name  may  be." 

"Douglas,"  said  the  doctor. 

"  'Dug'  is  as  good  as  anything,"  said  Harley. 
"We  may  have  a  lot  of  digging  to  do  before  we  are 
through  with  this  thing.  But  don't  try  to  do  any  of 
it  on  your  own  hook;  let  some  one  else  hunt  the 
girl.  You  may  change  your  clothes  and  change 
your  name,  but  the  Southerner  sticks  out  in  you 
bigger  than  a  cockroach  in  Marm  Sargent's  coffee." 

"But  what  am  I  to  do,  Mr.  Bean?  I  cannot 
remain  inactive." 

"You  can  qiiit  calling  me  'Mr.  Bean."  That  will 
be  one  thing  fcr  you  to  practice  on.  No  one  is 
allowed  to  call  me  Mr.  Bean  except  the  city  editor, 
and  he  only  does  it  when  he  wants  to  call  me 
down." 

"But  seriously,  I  must  do  something." 

"After  you  get  that  business  suit  and  get  to  be 
one  of  us  at  the  Hotel  de  Sargent  you  can  take  in 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  193 

the  sights  There  is  Bunker  Hill,  where  Warren 
fell;  the  Navy  Yard  and  Harvard.  After  you  have 
digested  those  you  can  go  down  the  harbor  and  take 
in  Hull,  Peddock's  Island  and  the  Boston  Light. 
Then  you  can  take  a  look  at  Fort  Warren,  Dead 
Man's  Island  and  the  Mate's  Grave." 

"Rather  a  gruesome  layout,  isn't  it,  Mr.  Harley, 
especially  the  last  two?" 

"They  may  be  a  little  gruesome,  but  interesting 
when  you  get  at  the  history.  Now  take  the  Mate's 
Grave.  You  see,  this  mate  was  convicted  of  some 
crime,  of  which  he  swore  he  was  innocent.  They 
hung  him  on  the  island,  and  just  before  they  swung 
him  off  he  said:  'You  are  killing  an  innocent  man, 
and  the  proof  of  it  will  be  that  no  grass  will  ever 
grow  upon  my  grave.'  And  for  a  fact,  no  grass 
ever  did  grow  there." 

The  doctor  was  taking  in  all  of  it  in  wonderment 
when  Dick  said:  "Say,  Harley,  did  any  grass  ever 
grow  on  that  island  anyway?" 

"Not  that  I  ever  heard  of,"  said  Harley,  "but 
hanging  is  too  good  for  a  man  who  will  spoil  a 
story  like  that." 

"By  the  way,"  said  Harley,  after  the  boys  were 
through  with  their  little  laugh,  "I  met  an  acquaint 
ance  of  yours  over  in  Cambridge  last  night  at  my 
cousin's.  I  never  told  you  about  my  cousin  Mary, 
did  I?  No?  I  thought  not.  I  have  a  cousin  over 
there  in  Cambridge  that  I  would  get  up  in  the  mid 
dle  of  the  night  to  take  my  hat  off  to.  She  is  the 
only  woman  now  living  that  ever  thought  I  was  the 
only  clikken  in  the  brood.  Her  husband  thinks  she 
is  all  right,  and  I  think  they  are  both  all  right,  and 


i94  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

when  I  go  over  there  we  just  form  a  mutual  admira 
tion  society  and  go  into  a  committee  of  the  whole. 
I  don't  go  over  there  very  often;  I  can't  stand  it. 
You  see,  after  I  come  back  from  one  of  those  visits 
my  hat  doesn't  fit  me  for  a  week,  and  then  I  get  to 
thinking  that  I  ought  to  be  editor-in-chief  instead 
of  just  an  ordinary  scrub  reporter,  and  I  get  called 
down  at  the  office.  One  day  Mrs.  Sargent  said  I 
was  drunk  and  threatened  to  throw  me  out  of  the 
boarding-house.  I  tried  to  explain  it  to  her  and  she 
walked  off  and  left  me.  But  I  was  going  to  tell 
you  about  this  young  lady  acquaintance  of  yours. 
She  isn't  young  enough  to  hurt,  by  the  way,  and  she 
must  be  old  enough  to  be  good.  Her  name  is  Hart 
ley,  Miss  Julia  Hartley,  a  school  teacher.  Do  you 
remember  her,  Dick?" 

"Yes,"  said  Dick,  and  Frank  and  Dick  exchanged 
glances. 

"You  see,  it  was  this  way,"  continued  Harley. 
"My  cousin  and  Miss  Hartley  are  very  good  friends, 
and  as  my  cousin  never  misses  a  chance  to  say  a 
good  word  for  me,  Miss  Hartley  got  to  thinking 
that  I  came  very  near  being  the  king  bee.  Of 
course  I  did  not  know  anything  about  this,  but  as 
near  as  I  can  figure  it  out  Miss  Hartley  accidentally 
happened  in  quite  often  just  to  see  if  I  had  showed 
up.  Naturally  such  perseverance  would  be  crowned 
with  success,  and  we  accidentally  met  at  my 
cousin's  house  last  night.  I  say  accidentally  because 
it  sounds  better,  you  know.  As  soon  as  we  were 
introduced  I  felt  sure  that  I  had  been  betrayed,  but 
knowing  that  it  was  my  cousin  who  had  done  the 
thing,  I  at  once  made  up  my  mind  that  she  wasn't 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  195 

to  blame;  it  was  simply  another  case  of  blindness. 
Say,  but  isn't  she  a  peach,  Dick?  She  knows  you 
too,  Frank.  Says  she  thinks  you  are  a  very  nice 
gentleman,  but  it  seems  that  for  some  reason  which 
she  did  not  explain  she  has  soured  on  Dick.  But 
that  doesn't  matter;  I  want  to  tell  our  friend  from 
Georgia  what  she  looks  like,  so  that  if  he  should 
happen  to  meet  her  he  would  not  try  to  cut  me  out. 
She  is  tall — I  may  say  she  is  quite  tall,  and  she  is 
very  slim.  I  studied  it  over  a  little  so  as  to  come 
to  some  sort  of  a  conclusion  about  her  length  and 
thickness.  She  is  either  so  tall  that  it  makes  her 
look  slim,  or  so  slim  that  it  makes  her  look  tall,  and 
I  can't  figure  out  which  it  is.  She  has  a  fair  com 
plexion  with  just  enough  color  in  her  cheeks  to 
liven  up  her  face.  She  has  brown  hair,  but  that, 
like  her  face,  is  thin.  When  she  spoke  I  discovered 
that  her  voice  was  thin.  Then  I  also  noticed  that 
her  lips  were  thin.  So  sum  her  up  and  describe 
her  quickly,  she  is  what  I  would  call  a  thin,  slim, 
tall  woman.  Am  I  right,  Dick?" 

"Harley,  you  have  made  an  amusing  picture — a 
thing  you  are  apt  to  do  at  the  expense  of  others — 
but  Miss  Hartley  is  far  from  what  you  would  try  to 
make  her  out,  and  while  she  might  be  called  tall 
and  slim,  the  thinness  you  speak  of  does  not  stand 
out  as  plainly  as  you  would  lead  people  to  believe, 
and  she  is  withal  quite  a  nice  looking  lady,  of  about 
thirty  years  of  age.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Meth 
odist  church  and  visits  in  some  of  the  best  houses  in 
Cambridge.  If  you  are  looking  for  a  mate  to  travel 
through  life  with  you,  you  might  do  worse  than  to 
take  her,  although  we  should  dislike  to  lose  you. ' ' 


196  RICHARD  VAUGHN 

"Yes,  I  know  you  would,  but  it  is  hard  to  lose 
me,  Dick.  I  may  look  this  prize  package  over 
again,  however,  as  my  cousin  recommends  her 
highly." 

The  doctor  excused  himself  and  left,  promising  to 
follow  out  Harley's  instructions. 

"I  wonder  what  the  doctor  thought  of  all  this 
cheap  talk,"  said  Frank. 

"It  doesn't  make  much  difference  what  he 
thought,"  said  Harley.  "What  we  want  to  do  is  to 
keep  his  mind  off  of  himself  and  his  troubles.  He 
is  a  fine  fellow,  but  he  doesn't  realize  what  a  serious 
case  he  has  on  hand." 

"And  you  are  in  it  just  for  the  pleasure  it  gives 
you  to  help  a  stranger,  I  suppose?"  said  Dick. 

"Not  much.  After  the  thing  is  over  I  will  write 
up  the  story  and  make  a  cool  hundred.  Good 
night,  boys." 


CHAPTER    XVII 

It  was  Thursday  evening,  and  as  it  was  raining, 
Olive  and  Frank  had  decided  to  spend  the  evening 
in  the  small  parlor  of  the  boarding-house.  It  was 
the  best  they  could  do,  but  as  they  were  not  sure  of 
being  left  alone  a  moment,  Frank  had  decided  that 
it  was  an  uncomfortable  place.  Perhaps  what 
made  it  so  uncomfortable  was  the  fact  that  if  any 
one  opened  the  door  and  looked  in,  Olive  was  sure 
to  ask  them  to  come  in  and  join  the  party. 

This  evening  Frank  was  unusually  quiet  for  a 
time,  and  Olive,  naturally  quiet  herself  and  being- 
acquainted  with  his  moods,  watched  him  and  waited 
for  him  to  speak. 

"This  has  been  a  bad  day,"  said  Frank. 

"That  is  not  what  you  have  been  thinking  about 
since  you  came  in  here,  Frank;  so  out  with  it." 

"What  would  you  give  to  know  what  I  was  really 
thinking  of?" 

"I  would  not  give  anything,  for  when  you  want 
me  to  know  it  you  will  tell  me,  and  if  you  don't 
want  me  to  know  it  I  can  live  without  it." 

"I  have  been  thinking  about  that  same  thing  all 
day,  and  I  have  been  thinking  whether  I  had  better 
take  you  to  see  it  or  tell  you  about  it." 

"Why  not  tell  me  first  and  then  take  me  after 
wards,  if  I  decide  that  I  want  to  go?" 

"That  might  do.  I  was  out  in  Roxbury  last 
evening  calling  on  an  old  acquaintance  of  mine.  I 

197 


198  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

did  not  know  what  kind  of  a  place  he  lived  in,  but  I 
imagined  from  what  I  knew  of  him  that  he  lived  in 
a  cheap  location  and  not  in  very  good  style.  I  went 
home  with  him  after  we  had  finished  our  work,  and 
took  dinner  with  the  family  and  spent  the  evening 
there.  There  was  a  large  surprise  in  store  for  me, 
and  I  must  say  I  never  realized  that  there  could  be 
such  a  large  amount  of  comfort  from  such  a  small 
investment.  They  have  a  little  cottage  of  five 
rooms,  three  downstairs  and  two  up.  The  house  is 
very  plainly  furnished,  but  very  neat  and  tasty. 
The  dinner  we  had  was  a  little  gem.  There  was 
but  one  kind  of  meat  and  one  vegetable  besides  the 
potatoes,  but  there  was  nice  fresh  bread  and  butter 
and  a  nice  little  pudding  to  top  off  with.  Every 
thing  was  pleasant  and  homelike.  Jim  and  I  sat  in 
the  front  room  while  Mrs.  Stanhope  was  getting 
the  dinner  on  the  table,  and  when  we  were  ready 
to  sit  down  I  was  made  acquainted  with  the 
daughter  of  the  house,  a  splendid  little  two-year-old 
baby.  She  was  dressed  neatly  and  sat  up  at  the 
table  by  the  side  of  her  mother  and  behaved  like  a 
little  lady.  Of  course  she  needed  some  attention, 
but  she  got  it.  Mrs.  Stanhope  is  a  bright  little 
woman  and  could  join  in  and  talk  with  us  on  any  of 
the  topics  of  the  day.  I  found  also  that  she  was 
quite  a  bookworm  and  was  familiar  with  most  of  my 
favorite  authors.  Dinner  over,  Mrs.  Stanhope  with 
the  baby  soon  followed  us  into  the  front  room,  and 
I  was  glad  to  hear  some  one  else  clearing  off  the 
table  and  doing  the  dishes.  Mrs.  Stanhope  enter 
tained  us  by  playing  on  a  small  organ. 

"I  came  away  pleased  with  my  visit  and  with  a 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  199 

better  opinion  of  Stanhope  than  I  ever  had  before. 
I  don't  believe  axl  they  had,  if  you  should  count  the 
clothes  they  had  on,  would  amount  to  more  than 
two  hundred  dollars  at  the  first  cost.  I  could  not 
make  the  whole  thing  out;  it  puzzled  me.  To-day 
I  saw  Stanhope  and  he  asked  me  what  I  thought  of 
the  result  of  his  three  years'  work,  and  it  was  then 
I  found  out  his  story.  Three  years  ago  he  married 
on  a  salary  of  eighteen  dollars  a  week.  To-day  he 
owns  the  house  he  lives  in,  clear  of  incumbrance 
and  also  owns  what  little  there  is  in  it.  Now  Stan 
hope  tells  me  he  is  going  to  furnish  tip  his  house  a 
little  better  and  then  he  is  going  to  try  and  get  in 
some  business  for  himself.  He  has  had  his  salary 
raised  twice  since  he  married,  and  there  isn't  a  man 
living  on  Beacon  street  who  begins  to  be  as  happy 
as  Jim  Stanhope." 

Frank  stopped  talking;  he  had  run  down. 

"That  is  a  wonderfully  sweet  story  you  have  just 
told  me,  Frank;  good  enough  to  graft  into  a  novel, 
and  you  tell  it  beautifully,  but  why  should  it  make 
you  so  thoughtful?" 

Frank  looked  at  Olive  for  a  moment  as  though  he 
were  trying  to  fathom  what  she  meant,  and  then 
said: 

"Olive,  why  don't  we  get  married?" 

"Really,  Frank,  I  don't  believe  I  can  tell,  unless 
it  is  because  you  have  never  asked  me." 

"Perhaps  I  never  did  ask  you  in  so  many  words, 
Olive;  but  you  know  and  I  know  that  we  have 
understood  that  we  were  to  be  married  when  the 
time  came  right." 

"You  may  know  that,  Frank;    the  lords  of  crea- 


200  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

tion  know  everything,  but  we  of  the  weaker  sex 
must  be  content  to  watch  and  wait  and  guess  as  to 
what  our  fate  will  be." 

"I  hardly  understand  you,  Olive,  but  you  shall 
never  again  have  a  chance  to  say  that  I  have  not 
asked  you.  Will  you  be  my  wife?" 

"No,  sir." 

"What?"  said  Frank,  as  he  sprang  to  his  feet. 
"Do  you  mean  to  say  that  you  never  intended  to 
marry  me?" 

"I  never  said  anything  of  the  kind,  but  you  know 
the  old  saying,  'True  love  never  did  run  smooth'; 
so  if  your  love  is  true  it  will  stand  a  bump  or  two." 

"Oh,  you  just  mean  that  I  must  ask  you  once  or 
twice  more;  is  that  it?" 

"Sit  down,  Frank,  and  be  sensible.  I  have  some 
thing  to  tell  you.  You  know  that  Martha  is  soon  to 
be  married  to  Mr.  Mortimer  J.  Beardsley.  Mr. 
Beardsley  is  a  great  catch,  and  I  have  strict  orders 
from  both  mother  and  Martha  to  put  you  off,  or,  if 
I  must  give  you  an  answer,  to  refuse  you,  in  case 
you  happened  to  think  to  ask  me." 

"Oh,  Olive,  it  is  awful  for  you  to  say  that." 

"Well,  you  did  forget  it,  didn't  you?" 

"Have  your  own  way  about  it,  Olive.  I  know 
you  didn't  mean  that  'no,'  and  you  can  rest  assured 
that  I  will  not  take  no  for  an  answer.  I  can  wait  a 
little  while,  but  tell  me,  how  long  must  I  wait?" 

"What,  before  you  ask  me  again?  Of  course  I 
cannot  stop  you  from  asking  questions,  but  I  can 
answer  them  as  I  like. ' ' 

"When  is  your  sister  to  be  married?" 

"Oh,  that  isn't  settled  yet;    some  time  this  com- 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  201 

ing  winter,  I  expect.  You  see,  Mortimer's  mother 
is  to  visit  Boston  this  winter,  and  when  she  comes 
she  is  to  look  sister  over  to  see  if  she  will  pass 
muster." 

"In  the  meantime  suppose  you  and  I  go  off  some 
where  quietly  and  get  married." 

"What !  Do  you  want  me  to  elope?  Why,  Frank, 
I  never  thought  that  of  you." 

"Perhaps  it  may  sound  a  little  queer,  but  I  have 
made  up  my  mind  that  we  have  waited  long 
enough.  You  know  you  intend  to  marry  me  some 
time  and  we  might  just  as  well  have  it  over  with 
now  as  to  wait  the  pleasure  of  those  who  are  not 
half  as  much  interested  in  the  affair  as  we  are." 

"You  do  not  take  no  for  an  answer  as  nicely  as 
Mr.  Vaughn  does,  and  he  didn't  even  get  the  no 
from  the  girl  as  I  understand  it." 

"Dick  Vaughn  is  one  of  the  noblest  men  that  ever 
lived.  I  am  sure  he  has  not  taken  that  no  as  final, 
but  he  can  suffer  more  with  no  appearance  of  suffer 
ing  than  any  one  I  ever  heard  of.  He  has  even 
lengthened  his  days  of  suspense  to  help  some  one 
else  as  I  have  already  told  you  and  yet  a  stranger 
would  never  know  that  he  was  in  trouble.  I  know 
of  his  troubles  and  I  can  see  a  change  in  him.  He 
has  lost  a  good  deal  of  that  careless  good  nature 
that  he  once  had  and  I  long  fur  the  time  when  I 
shall  see  him  his  old  natural  self  again." 

"You  talk  as  though  you  were  in  love  with  him." 

"If  one  man  can  be  in  love  with  another  I  guess 
I  am.  Dick's  is  a  character  that  one  does  not  often 
find  and  an  acquaintance  like  Dick  once  found  is 
worth  sticking  to.  He  is  the  kind  of  a  man  that 


aoa  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

heroes  are  made  of  and  if  the  occasion  ever  comes 
he  will  prove  my  words.  In  fact  he  has  proved  it 
to  some  of  us  who  know  him  best  now,  but  there  are 
lots  of  people  who  never  recognize  a  hero  in  private 
life;  they  only  see  him  when  their  attention  is  called 
to  him  by  a  brass  band  or  a  drum  corps.  In  my 
opinion  almost  any  one  may  become  a  hero  if  he  has 
the  smell  of  gunpowder  in  his  nostrils,  but  it  takes 
a  man  to  be  a  hero  in  a  clear  atmosphere. " 

"My!  Frank,  if  you  could  plead  your  own  case  as 
well  as  you  can  Dick's,  you  could  win  almost  any 
thing.  " 

"Thank  you,  Olive,  but  when  I  am  pleading  my 
own  case  I  haven't  as  good  material  to  work  on." 

"Don't  belittle  yourself;  it  doesn't  sound  well." 

"I  have  some  news  for  you,  Olive.  I  am  going 
home  next  week,  and  I  have  a  very  pressing  invita 
tion  for  you  to  go  with  me.  Mother  is  very  anxious 
to  see  you.  She  says  my  letters  are  for  the  most 
part  filled  with  what  Olive  sa)'S  and  what  Olive 
does,  and  that  she  is  more  than  anxious  to  become 
acquainted  with  you.  Will  you  go?" 

"Perhaps.  I  will  ask  mother  about  it,  and  if 
she  thinks  it  proper  I  will  go,  but  I  can  stay  but  a 
day  or  two,  as  the  girls  are  calling  on  me  for  some 
thing  all  the  time." 

"Better  let  them  wait  on  themselves  a  while;  it 
will  do  them  good. ' ' 

"How  selfish  you  are,  Frank.  I  am  ashamed  of 
you." 

The  next  week  Frank  and  Olive  made  the  trip  to 
Brookfield.  It  was  about  seventy  miles  by  rail,  and 
when  they  arrived  Frank's  father  met  them  at  the 


RICHARD  VAUGHN  203 

station  with  the  jump-seat  and  old  Fannie.  The 
old  horse  and  jump-seat  had  both  done  duty  in  the 
Bardwell  family  since  Frank's  earliest  recollections. 

Mr.  Bardwell's  greeting  to  his  son  was  cordial, 
and  if  possible  he  was  more  cordial  to  Olive.  It 
was  a  beautiful  September  day,  and,  as  they  rode 
out  through  the  village  and  into  the  country,  every 
thing  seemed  to  interest  Olive.  This  was  the  first 
time  she  had  been  so  far  away  from  Boston,  and 
almost  the  first  time  she  had  been  in  the  real  coun 
try.  They  had  but  two  miles  to  go  after  leaving 
the  village,  but  old  Fannie  was  slow — a  fact  which 
pleased  Olive,  as  she  enjoyed  everything  she  saw, 
even  to  the  turns  in  the  road.  Frank  and  his  father 
sat  on  the  front  seat,  and  at  first  would  break  off 
their  talk  to  each  other  to  make  some  remark  to 
Olive,  until  she  told  them  to  visit  with  each  other, 
as  she  was  perfectly  content  to  watch  the  landscape. 

"I  wanted  to  bring  May  for  company  for  ye," 
said  Mr.  Bardwell,  "but  she  is  such  a  skeery  critter 
I  couldn't  get  her  in  the  wagon."  With  this  he 
resumed  his  talk  with  Frank,  and  Olive  wondered 
whether  he  meant  Frank's  sister  May  or  some  four- 
legged  animal. 

After  a  while  they  reached  the  old  Bardwell 
homestead  and  drove  up  to  the  front  door.  To 
Olive  it  seemed  much  as  Frank  had  pictured  it — a 
great  big  old-fashioned  house  of  many  gables. 
When  they  came  in  sight  of  the  house,  Olive  was 
sure  she  could  see  quite  a  number  of  children  and 
some  grown  people,  but  as  they  came  nearer  there 
was  no  sign  of  a  human  life  about  the  place.  A 
couple  of  dogs  came  out  and  barked  and  jumped  up 


2o4  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

to  old  Fannie's  nose.  The  hens  scampered  out  of 
the  front  yard,  and  some  cows  in  a  field  opposite 
stopped  grazing  and  looked  at  the  newcomers. 
Olive  smiled  as  she  thought  what  a  sensation  she 
was  creating  in  the  household. 

As  the  jump-seat  stopped  at  the  front  door  and 
Frank  jumped  out,  Mrs.  Bardwell  came  out,  and 
taking  him  in  her  arms,  kissed  him  again  and  again. 
Frank  helped  Olive  to  alight  and  introduced  her  to 
his  mother.  Mrs.  Bardwell  welcomed  her  to  the 
farm  with  a  motherly  kiss  that  won  Olive's  heart  at 
once,  and  the  two  women  went  into  the  house 
together,  while  Frank  and  his  father  attended  to 
putting  up  the  old  jump-seat  and  Fannie. 

Frank  was  the  oldest  of  quite  a  good-sized  family, 
and  it  was  more  than  an  hour  before  all  of  them 
could  be  induced  to  come  in  and  be  presented  to 
Olive.  By  supper  time,  however,  most  of  them  had 
broken  through  their  reserve  and  were  on  very  fair 
terms  with  the  strange  lady  from  Boston. 

After  supper  was  over  the  men  folks  busied  them 
selves  in  doing  the  chores.  Frank  went  out  and 
helped  as  in  the  days  before  he  left  home,  and  the 
girls  helped  to  clear  off  the  table  and  do  up  the 
housework.  Then  came  bed-time  for  the  little 
ones,  and  it  was  not  long  before  Olive  was  shown 
to  the  spare  room. 

It  was  a  large  room  over  the  parlor.  The  furni 
ture  consisted  of  a  high-posted  bedstead,  a  wash- 
stand,  a  table  and  a  few  stiff -backed  chairs.  There 
were  a  few  old-fashioned  pictures  on  the  walls,  but 
the  subjects  were  not  interesting;  neither  could 
they  be  considered  works  of  art.  The  candle 


RICHARD  .V AUGHN  205 

needed  snuffing,  but  Olive  was  not  used  to  candles, 
and  her  attempt  to  snuff  it  put  it  out.  As  soon  as 
she  had  recovered  from  her  surprise  at  doing  this 
she  discovered  that  the  moon  was  shining;  also  that 
it  made  a  ghastly  light  and  that  the  room  was  filled 
with  the  most  grotesque  shadows.  Olive  was  a  brave 
girl, and  she  threw  oft  the  creepy  feeling  that  she  was 
commencing  to  experience  and,  quickly  undressing, 
climbed  into  bed,  and  soon  found  herself  sunk  in 
the  middle  of  a  feather  bed  such  as  she  might  have 
read  of  but  had  never  really  believed  existed.  She 
lay  there  quietly  for  half  an  hour,  and  could  hear 
Frank  and  his  parents  talking;  then  all  was  still. 
The  stillness  was  new  to  her,  and  as  she  described 
it  afterwards,  it  could  be  felt.  She  was  tired  with 
her  trip,  but  there  had  been  a  sort  of  an  excitement 
in  meeting  Frank's  people  that  had  made  her  nerv 
ous,  and  she  could  not  sleep.  Away  off  in  the  dis 
tance  she  thought  she  heard  someone  calling;  then 
she  decided  it  must  be  an  owl.  She  could  hear  tree 
toads,  and  after  she  had  in  a  sense  gotten  used  to 
them  a  cricket  commenced  to  sing.  This  animal 
she  was  sure  was  in  her  room  and  she  wondered 
how  any  one  could  live  in  the  country.  She  heard 
the  clock  strike  ten,  and  she  knew  she  was  the  only 
one  awake  in  the  house.  Then  she  thought  about 
her  door  being  unlocked,  and  the  thought  occurred 
to  her  that  most  likely  all  of  the  doors  in  the  house 
were  unlocked,  and  how  easy  it  would  be  for  a 
tramp  to  come  in  and  go  all  over  the  house.  She 
decided  she  ought  to  get  up  and  put  something 
against  her  door.  As  she  started  to  do  this  the 
clock  struck  eleven.  She  raised  herself  on  her 


jo6  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

elbow  and  counted,  hoping  that  it  was  twelve. 
Then,  as  the  clock  ceased  striking,  her  hair  seemed 
to  raise  and  there  was  a  creepy  feeling  in  her  back. 
She  fell  back  upon  the  feather  bed,  covered  up  her 
head,  and  for  the  first  time  realized  that  she  could 
hear  herself  breathe.  She  tried  to  breathe  easier, 
but  it  was  of  no  use. 

She  lay  still  until  she  thought  it  ought  to  be 
morning,  when  she  heard  the  clock  strike  twelve. 
She  heard  the  clock  strike  one  and  then  two.  The 
next  she  heard  was,  "What's  your  name  besides 
Olive?"  and  opening  her  tired  eyes,  she  saw  one  of 
the  younger  children  trying  to  pull  the  side  of  the 
feather  bed  down,  so  that  she  might  get  a  glimpse 
of  her.  She  also  noticed  that  the  sun  was  shining 
in  her  room.  She  heard  the  lowing  of  the  cows  and 
the  crowing  of  the  rooster.  A  dog  was  barking 
down  in  the  field  where  one  of  the  boys  was  trying 
to  dig  out  a  woodchuck.  The  little  tot  had  begged 
the  privilege  of  bringing  in  a  pitcher  of  fresh 
water,  and  stood  there  waiting  for  her  answer. 

"My  name  is  Sargent,  little  one." 

"That's  a  funny  name,  but  our  Frank  says  he  is 
going  to  change  it  for  you.  He  said  so  this  morn 
ing." 

When  Olive  came  down  stairs  she  found  that 
breakfast  had  been  over  for  a  long  time.  Mr. 
Bardwell  had  gone  to  work  and  Frank  and  one  of 
his  brothers  had  gone  to  the  village. 

"I  thought  I  would  let  you  sleep,"  said  Mrs. 
Bardwell,  "for  I  knew  you  must  be  tired." 

Olive  thought  of  the  night  she  had  passed  and 
wondered  how  she  could  ever  go  through  another 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  207 

one.  The  thought  of  that  night  and  the  ones  that 
were  to  come  were  the  only  things  that  kept  her 
from  having  the  best  of  a  time,  for  every  member 
of  the  family  vied  with  each  other  in  entertaining 
her. 

In  the  afternoon,  as  Frank  and  Olive  were  sitting 
together  in  the  sitting-room,  Frank  took  a  paper 
out  of  his  pocket  and  handed  it  to  her,  asking  at  the 
same  time  of  she  could  understand  what  it  meant. 
She  read  it  over  carefully.  There  was  no  question 
as  to  what  it  was ;  it  was  a  marriage  license,  and 
the  parties  named  therein  were  Frank  P.  Bardwell, 
of  Brookfield,  and  Olive  Sargent,  of  Boston.  Olive 
handed  it  back  and  was  about  to  speak,  but  Frank 
stopped  her  by  putting  up  his  hand. 

"I  have  told  my  people, "  said  Frank,  "that  you 
wanted  to  wait,  and  that  this  was  my  idea  and  mine 
alone.  I  have  fixed  it  with  the  town  clerk  so  that 
this  will  not  get  into  the  papers  here  for  a  month, 
and  it  will  most  likely  never  be  seen  in  the  Boston 
papers.  The  minister  will  be  here  in  twenty  min 
utes,  and  if  you  don't  marry  me  it  will  place  me  in 
an  awfully  poor  light.  When  we  go  back  to  Boston 
we  will  keep  the  thing  quiet  until  you  get  ready  to 
tell  it." 

"Will  you  take  me  back  to  Boston  now  before  the 
minister  comes?"  asked  Olive. 

"Not  much;  there  is  no  train  until  midnight,  and 
whether  we  are  married  or  not  we  are  going  to  stay 
our  week  out." 

Olive  thought  it  over.  She  had  expected  to 
marry  Frank  some  time,  and  she  knew  there  was 
no  good  reason  why  she  should  not  marry  him  now. 


208  RICHARD  VAUGHN 

All  the  rest  of  the  family  were  in  the  other  part  of 
the  house,  and,  as  she  sat  there  thinking,  all  at  once 
everything  seemed  to  become  quiet  and  a  cricket 
commenced  to  chirp  on  the  hearth.  Olive  shud 
dered;  the  thought  of  the  past  night  came  to  her. 
The  minister  was  ushered  in.  Frank  reached  out 
his  hand;  Olive  placed  her  own  in  his,  and  in  a  few 
moments  they  were  pronounced  man  and  wife. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

Frank  and  Olive  finished  out  the  week  at  the 
Bardwell  homestead.  It  was  their  honeymoon,  and 
to  Olive  it  was  as  pleasant  as  it  was  unexpected. 
It  was  not  altogether  unexpected  with  Frank;  in 
fact,  he  had  intended  that  the  whole  thing  should 
happen  as  it  did.  He  had  even  told  his  mother  not 
to  allow  one  of  the  girls  to  share  Olive's  room,  say 
ing  that  one  of  the  inducements  he  had  held  out  to 
her  in  coming  was  that  she  should  have  a  room  to 
herself. 

After  the  wedding  was  over  Olive  realized  that 
she  had  been  trapped,  but  she  found  no  fault  with 
Frank  for  the  part  he  had  taken  in  the  matter.  As 
she  thought  the  whole  thing  over  she  decided  that 
it  was  rather  a  neat  thing  for  Frank  to  do,  and  on 
the  whole  she  was  proud  of  her  husband's  persever 
ance. 

Sunday  the  newly-married  couple  returned  to 
Boston  and  to  the  boarding-house  of  Mrs.  Sargent. 
They  had  decided  that  for  the  present  they  would 
keep  the  wedding  a  secret  and  that  they  would  take 
up  their  old  lives  as  though  nothing  had  happened. 
They  had  two  reasons  for  this,  one  being  that  they 
did  not  care  to  answer  all  of  the  questions  that 
would  be  asked  them  by  the  boarders  and  the  Sar 
gent  family;  but  the  most  important  reason  was 
that  it  might  in  some  way  prevent  Frank  from 
rendering  the  assistance  he  otherwise  might  to  the 
lest  of  the  boys  in  their  search  for  Laura  Morgan. 

209 


210  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

Doctor  Lovelace  had  taken  Harley  Bean's  advice 
and  had  gone  to  work  as  assistant  to  Dick  Vaughn. 
All  agreed  that  it  was  necessary  for  the  doctor  tf> 
have  something  to  occupy  his  mind,  and,  as  he 
understood  bookkeeping,  it  was  easy  for  him  to  do 
this  kind  of  work.  Every  evening  the  boys  would 
talk  over  matters  in  Dick's  room.  Harley  always 
had  some  story  to  tell  of  his  adventures  with  the 
principals  of  girls'  schools.  The  doctor  was  always 
anxious  that  the  work  should  be  carried  on  faster, 
and  Dick  continually  assured  him  that  Harley  was 
doing  all  that  could  be  done. 

A  few  evenings  after  the  return  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Frank  Bardwell  from  their  wedding  trip,  Harley 
Bean  made  a  call  on  Warrington  street.  He  asked 
for  Miss  Lizzy  Burley,  who,  by  the  way,  was  one  of 
the  daughters  of  the  house.  The  Burleys  were  a 
queer  family,  and  consisted  of  father,  mother,  a  son 
and  three  daughters.  The  father  was  a  worthless 
old  chap,  who  seemed  to  have  no  ambition  in  life. 
He  objected  as  strongly  to  soap  and  water  as  the  pro 
verbial  tramp  and  had  worn  the  same  suit  of  clothes 
ever  since  they  had  lived  on  Warrington  street 
which  was  a  matter  of  several  years.  His  educa 
tion  had  been  neglected  in  his  youth  and  he  never 
realized  that  it  was  necessary  that  he  should  have 
one.  When  his  children  grew  up  they  were  put  to 
work,  instead  of  being  sent  to  school  and  the  result 
can  easily  be  imagined.  The  mother  of  this  inter 
esting  family  was,  at  the  time  of  which  we  write,  a 
woman  of  about  fifty-five  years  of  age.  Her 
features  were  fine;  her  hair  was  a  silvery  white; 
her  voice  was  soft  and  gentle.  She  was  in  looks, 


RICHARD    VAUGHN  211 

actions  and  neatness  the  exact  opposite  of  her  hus 
band.  She  also  labored  under  the  disadvantage  of 
having  had  but  a  few  terms  at  the  country  school 
when  young,  and  although  she  read  the  daily 
papers  constantly,  her  education  had  never  ad 
vance  much.  . 

The  one  boy  of  the  family  was  but  a  second  edi 
tion  of  his  father.  He  had  found  some  girl  who 
would  marry  him  and  was  no  longer  under  the 
parental  roof.  The  oldest  child  of  the  family  was 
a  girl,  or  at  this  time  a  woman  of  thirty-five.  She 
had  been  married,  but  had  decided  soon  after  her 
marriage  that  a  husband  was  a  sort  of  a  useless 
thing  to  have,  and  as  he  had  decided  the  same 
thing  in  regard  to  a  wife,  they  separated  by  mutual 
consent.  Mrs.  Nora  Wright  (nee  Burley)  became 
Madame  Lulu  Ascctt,  spiritualist,  clairvoyant  and 
fortune-teller.  The  youngest  daughter,  Nina,  was 
a  sort  of  a  female  soldier  of  fortune,  who  plied  her 
trade  in  other  cities,  only  using  Boston  as  a  place 
to  hail  from.  This  was  very  kind  of  her,  but 
sometimes  it  was  rather  hard  on  dignified  Boston. 
Lizzy,  the  remaining  daughter,  was  a  tall,  graceful 
girl.  She  had  a  very  stylish  figure,  black  hair  and 
hazel  eyes.  Her  face  was  rather  sad.  Meeting  her 
in  the  street  one  would  say,  "What  a  handsome 
woman!"  but  after  conversing  with  her  for  ten 
minutes  he  would  forget  that  her  face  or  figure  had 
attracted  him,  particularly  if  he  were  a  stickler  for 
good  grammar. 

This  was  the  girl  whom  Harley  called  to  see.  She 
was  out,  but  Harley's  business  was  urgent  and  he 
told  her  mother  he  would  wait,  and  as  he  waited  his 


2i2  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

mind  went  back  to  the  time  when  he  first  met  this 
strange  family. 

One  afternoon  about  three  years  before  this  the 
city  editor  had  sent  for  him  and  said:  "Harley, 
there  is  going  to  be  a  spiritual  seance  on  Davis 
street,  and  they  have  advertised  extensively  that 
spirits  of  departed  friends  of  those  present  will 
materialize,  so  that  every  one  can  see  them.  You 
had  better  go  up  there  as  a  seeker  of  light,  and  per 
haps  you  will  find  light  enough  to  write  something 
that  will  be  interesting." 

Harley  took  an  acquaintance  with  him,  and  they 
paid  the  required  seventy-five  cents  each  and  were 
admitted  into  the  presence  of  the  world-renowned 
Madame  Lulu  Ascott.  Harley  and  his  friend  had 
seated  themselves  well  towards  the  front,  near  the 
stage,  and  weie  very  attentive  listeners  and  observ 
ers.  After  a  while  the  stage  was  cleared  for  the 
materialization  act.  The  lights  were  turned  very 
low  and  a  weird  tune  was  played  on  a  little  cabinet 
organ.  Every  eye  was  intently  fixed  on  the  stage, 
and  at  last  the  dim  outlines  of  a  woman's  figure 
could  be  seen.  As  the  audience  became  more  used 
to  the  dim  light  and  the  figure  materialized  more, 
they  discovered  that  it  took  the  form  of  a  tall  sad- 
faced  girl  with  long  beautiful  black  hair.  The  audi 
ence  was  spellbound. 

A  little  man,  who  seemed  to  be  a  sort  of  an 
assistant  to  Madame  Ascjtt  said  in  a  low,  hollow 
voice:  "Does  any  one  recognize  in  this  spirit  form 
a  departed  friend?" 

Harley  arose,  and  with  a  voice  apparently  chok 
ing  with  emotion,  said:  "It  is  my  sister, "  Then 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  213 

before  any  one  was  aware  of  what  he  was  about  to 
do,  he  sprang  upon  the  stage  and,  clasping  the 
materialized  spirit  in  his  arms,  began  kissing  her 
warm,  red  lips.  Just  at  this  time  Harley's  friend 
turned  up  the  light,  which  was  the  means  of  disclos 
ing  to  all  the  people  present  Harley  clasping  the 
form  of  Lizzy  Burley  in  his  arms.  They  also  saw 
the  madame  and  her  little  undersized  assistant 
dancing  around  on  the  stage  in  a  vain  endeavor  to 
rescue  the  girl  from  Harley's  grasp.  Harley's 
friend  came  to  his  assistance,  and  the  crowd,  think 
ing  that  it  was  a  raid  by  the  police,  left  the  house 
with  a  rush. 

After  the  audience  had  left  and  Lizzy  Burley  had 
once  more  resumed  her  earthly  role  and  her  best 
clothes,  Harley's  friend  sent  out  for  a  pitcher  of 
beer,  and  all  matters  were  adjusted  with  satisfaction 
to  every  one. 

The  next  day  there  appeared  a  column-and-a-half 
article  on  the  affair,  written  by  Harley  Bean,  which 
struck  home  in  three  ways:  it  proved  an  ad.  for 
Madame  Ascott;  showed  the  good  people  of  Boston 
what  frauds  were  constantly  being  practiced  in  their 
midst,  and  secured  a  raise  of  salary  for  Harle}^ 
Bean.  It  also  was  the  means  of  making  Harley 
acquainted  with  the  rest  of  the  Burley  family,  and 
he  had  kept  up  his  acquaintance  by  occasionally 
calling  on  them  ever  since. 

As  Harley  finished  going  over  in  his  mind  his  first 
meeting  with  Lizzy,  that  young  lady  came  in, 
accompanied  by  a  young  man.  She  was  pleased  to 
see  Harley,  and  at  once  asked  how  long  he  was 
going  to  stay. 


2i4  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

"Long  enough  for  you  to  get  rid  of  that  guy," 
said  Harley;  and  in  a  few  moments  the  young  man 
had  been  told  that  her  "steady"  had  come  and  that 
he  had  better  make  himself  scarce. 

"Now,"  said  Harley,  as  they  went  into  another 
room  to  get  rid  of  the  old  folks,  "I  am  going  to  give 
you  a  chance  to  make  yourself  famous,  Lizzy.  You 
can  do  it,  and  there  isn't  another  woman  in  Boston 
that  could  do  it  half  so  well." 

"All  right,  Harley;  and  if  I  do  it,  what  do  I  get?" 

"What  do  you  want,  Lizzy?  You  know  you  can 
have  anything  I  can  get  you." 

"You  can  give  me  what  I  want,  Harley;  and  I 
ought  not  to  be  obliged  to  tell  you  what  it  is,  for 
you  already  know  that  it  is  your  love.  Give  me 
that  and  I  will  do  anything  on  earth  for  you." 

"Now,  look  here,  Lizzy,  I  thought  you  had  gotten 
over  that.  Besides  my  friendship  is  worth  more  than 
my  love  any  day.  But  if  you  are  so  exacting  I  will 
be  obliged  to  get  some  one  else  to  do  this  work  for 
me,  and  if  that  is  the  case  I  must  be  going." 

"You  will  do  nothing  of  the  kind.  No  other 
woman  shall  do  anything  for  you  that  I  can  do. 
Just  tell  me  what  it  is." 

Harley  took  the  picture  of  Laura  Morgan  from 
his  pocket  and  handing  it  to  Lizzy,  asked  her  to 
study  it  well. 

She  took  it  and  said:  "Who  is  this,  Harley? 
Now,  tell  me  the  truth  if  you  want  my  help  and  I 
will  help  you." 

Harley  told  her  about  Doctor  Lovelace  and  Laura 
Morgaa  He  also  told  her  his  suspicions  and 
finally  explained  to  her  the  part  he  wanted  her  to 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  215 

play.  He  soon  had  her  interested.  The  role  she 
was  to  play  was  an  exciting  one,  and  one  that  she 
believed  she  was  well  fitted  to  play,  and  she  was 
ready  and  anxious  to  commence  it. 

The  next  evening-  about  eight  o'clock  a  hack 
stopped  in  front  of  the  house  occupied  by  the  Bur- 
leys,  and  a  tall  girl,  dressed  in  deep  black,  came 
out,  got  into  the  hack  and  was  driven  away.  In 
the  hack  with  the  girl  was  Harley  Bean  and  Dick 
Vaughn,  and  on  the  box,  perched  tip  on  the  driv 
er's  seat,  was  Frank  Bard  well.  Frank  was  per 
fectly  at  home  with  horses,  but  a  seat  on  the  top  of 
a  hack  was  new  and  strange  to  him.  It  was  not 
long,  however,  before  he  got  the  swing  of  the  busi 
ness  and  rather  enjoyed  the  novelty  of  it. 

The  hack  bowled  along  out  Tremont  street, 
through  Roxbury  to  West  Roxbury,  and  at  last 
drew  up  before  a  lonely-looking  house  not  more  than 
a  mile  from  the  West  Roxbury  station  on  the  Provi 
dence  railroad. 

Harley  went  to  the  door  of  the  house  and  in  a  few 
minutes  came  back,  assisted  Lizzy  to  alight,  and 
went  with  her  to  the  house.  There  he  helped  her 
lay  aside  her  wraps  and  said: 

"This  is  the  sister  I  told  you  about."  And  then 
turning  to  Lizzy,  he  said:  "This  is  Mr.  Jordan, 
Lizzy,  at  whose  house  I  told  you  you  were  to  rest 
for  a  few  days  and  try  to  get  over  the  effects  of 
your  hard  study." 

Lizzy  drew  herself  tip  to  her  full  height,  bowed 
condescendingly,  and  gave  the  doctor  one  of  her 
sad,  sweet  smiles,  but  she  uttered  no  word.  The 
matron  came  in  and  was  introduced,  and  Lizzy, 


2i6  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

after  kissing  Harley  good-bye,  allowed  herself  to  be 
led  away. 

"You  will  find  her  no  trouble,  Doctor.  Just  give 
her  the  freedom  of  the  house  and  keep  her  amused, 
and  I  trust  that  under  your  skillful  treatment  she 
will  soon  be  herself  again." 

"I  trust  so,"  said  the  doctor,  "but  allowing  me  to 
be  the  judge,  your  sister  is  worse  off  than  you 
imagine.  Her  eyes  do  not  look  right,  and  that  sad, 
resigned  look  that  she  has  does  not  come  so  much 
from  over-study  as  from  a  loss  that  she  may  have 
sustained.  Has  she  lost  some  friend  lately,  or  per 
haps  a  sweetheart?" 

"Doctor,  you  are  a  wonder.  She  had  a  little 
affair  of  the  heart  lately,  but  I  would  not  admit  even 
to  myself  that  this  had  affected  her  mind." 

The  doctor  was  pleased ;  his  vanity  had  been  flat 
tered,  and  as  he  shook  hands  heartily  with  Harley  at 
parting,  he  said:  "I  shall  attend  to  her  carefully, 
Mr.  Bean,  and  when  I  see  you  again  I  hope  to  be 
able  to  give  you  some  encouragement." 

While  Harley  had  been  inside  with  the  doctor 
Dick  had  completely  reconnoitered  the  premises. 
This  was  not  without  some  difficulty,  as  he  encoun 
tered  a  ferocious  watch-dog,  with  whom  he  was 
obliged  to  make  his  peace.  He  had  always  been 
very  fond  of  dogs,  and  one  of  his  trials  had  always 
been  that  strange  dogs  would  persist  in  following 
him,  as  he  was  never  afraid  of  them.  Using  all  his 
powers  of  persuasion,  he  finally  made  friends  with 
the  doctor's  big  brute,  and  took  him  around  the 
place  with  him. 

It  was  well  along  into  the  small  hours  the  next 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  217 

morning  when  the  three  young  men  reached  Mrs. 
Sargent's  boarding-house.  The  doctor  was  up 
waiting  for  them. 

"What  luck?"  said  he,  "for  I  know  you  fellows 
have  been  off  on  my  business.  You  are  putting  me 
everlastingly  into  your  debt,  and  the  worst  of  it  is 
you  won't  let  me  do  any  of  the  work  or  share  any  of 
the  dangers." 

"Doctor,"  said  Harley,  "I  have  been  in  a  good 
many  tight  places  since  I  have  been  in  newspaper 
work,  and  I  always  pick  my  assistants.  I  have  a 
theory  in  regard  to  this  case,  and  as  soon  as  I  have 
proved  my  theory  I  will  let  you  in,  and  if  there  is 
any  work  to  do  that  requires  nerve  you  shall  have 
the  post  of  honor.  Are  you  satisfied?" 

"I  guess  I  will  have  to  be,  Harley.  I  have 
always  told  my  patients  that  when  they  engaged 
me  they  must  take  my  medicine,  and  that  is  what  I 
seem  to  be  doing  now." 

For  a  day  or  two  after  Frank  returned  from 
Brookfield  he  was  quite  content  to  follow  the  advice 
that  Olive  had  given  him,  and  keep  the  marriage  a 
secret  until  Martha  was  married.  In  this  way  she 
claimed  she  could  keep  at  work  and  save  a  little 
money  towards  housekeeping.  The  more  Frank 
thought  this  over  the  more  he  thought  he  was  fool 
ish  to  allow  her  to  do  it.  In  the  first  place  he  had 
money  enough  to  furnish  a  house,  and  besides  that 
he  had  an  interest  in  the  firm  of  H.  U.  Lemon  & 
Co.,  and  was  making  more  money  than  he  had  ever 
expected  to.  The  straw  that  broke  the  camel's 
back,  however,  was  the  fact  that  he  could  see  but 
little  of  his  wife,  as  when  she  was  at  home  she  was 


2i8  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

continually  doing  something  for  Martha.  Frank 
grew  to  hate  the  sound  of  the  name  of  Martha,  and 
at  last  he  decided  that  he  would  take  things  in  his 
own  hands.  The  result  of  his  decision  was  that  he 
went  over  to  Cambridge  and  hired  a  five-room  tene 
ment.  Then  he  started  in,  and  with  the  help  of  an 
acquaintance  in  a  furniture  store,  furnished  the 
house  complete. 

That  week  he  had  seen  but  little  of  Olive.  He 
had  purposely  kept  out  of  her  way  and  had  even 
sent  regrets  that  he  could  not  be  with  her  as  usual 
Thursday  evening.  He  told  her,  however,  that  he 
had  promised  to  make  a  call  with  her  on  Sunday, 
and  to  meet  him  in  the  parlor  at  one  o'clock. 

Frank  had  hired  a  second-floor  tenement,  owned 
by  an  acquaintance  of  his  who  lived  in  the  lower 
one,  and  he  had  made  arrangements  with  the  lady 
of  the  house  to  have  her  servant  let  him  in  and 
show  him  upstairs. 

When  Frank  met  his  wife  in  the  parlor  that  Sun- 
clay  he  started  as  though  to  kiss  her. 

"Oh,  Frank,  don't!  What  if  some  one  should 
walk  in  here?"  And  then,  as  she  thought  he  looked 
a  little  hurt,  she  said:  "Be  patient,  Frank,  just  a 
little  while,  and  you  shall  have  a  surfeit  of  kisses." 

Olive  seldom  asked  where  they  were  going,  but 
left  the  planning  to  Frank,  and  this  time  they 
walked  along  without  her  noticing  which  way  they 
went.  Frank  helped  her  into  a  Cambridge  car,  and 
in  answer  to  her  question  of  where  they  were  going, 
mentioned  the  name  of  his  new  landlord.  When 
they  arrived  at  the  house  they  were  shown  in  by 
the  maid,  who  at  once  left  them  alone. 


RICHARD    VAUGHN  219 

"Isn't  this  a  pretty  parlor!"  said  Olive.  "Per 
haps  some  time  we  shall  have  one  like  it  and  it  is  all 
new,  too.  But  who  are  these  people?  You  said  you 
were  going  to  see  the  people  downstairs." 

"I  am  glad  you  like  it  all  Olive;  and  }TOU  will  find 
the  people  who  own  it  in  the  next  room." 

With  this  he  took  her  by  the  arm  and  leading  her 
out  through  a  prettily  furnished  sitting-room,  came 
to  the  door  of  the  bed-room,  and  standing  her  before 
the  mirror  on  the  dresser,  said : 

"Allow  me  to  introduce  you  to  the  owners  of  this 
little  home." 

A  more  completely  surprised  woman  than  Olive  at 
this  moment  never  lived.  Frank  was  in  his  glory; 
he  had  taken  the  reins  in  his  own  hands  and  driven 
to  a  finish.  Olive  looked  around  the  pretty  little 
bed-room  and  then,  as  she  saw  that  Frank  was  wait 
ing  for  her  to  speak,  she  sank  into  a  chair  and  said: 

"Oh,  Frank,  what  can  I  say  or  what  can  I  do? 
You  are  so  persistent.  You  make  me  do  just  what 
I  say  I  will  not  do,  and  you  make  me  love  you  more 
every  day." 

"That  is  too  bad,  Olive;  but  don't  )TOU  think  that 
I  have  earned  that  kiss  you  refused  me  this  morn 
ing?" 

There  was  a  knock  on  the  parlor  door  and  as 
Frank  and  Olive  returned  to  the  parlor  the  maid 
was  ushering  in  three  visitors  and  there  was  a  sur 
prise  for  them  when  Frank  introduced  his  wife  to 
Harley  Bean,  Dick  Vaughn  and  Doctor  Lovelace. 
Frank  had  tricked  the  young  men  into  calling  just 
to  make  it  a  surprise  all  around,  and  it  was  a  com 
plete  one. 


*2o  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

"Well,  said  Harley,  after  he  had  recovered  his 
breath,  "the  next  we  know  the  wooden  Indians  will 
be  getting  married.  When  did  the  accident  hap 
pen,  anyhow?" 

Of  course  the  whole  story  had  to  be  told,  and 
then  congratulations  were  in  order. 

"This  whole  affair  has  been  worked  out  by 
Frank,"  said  Olive.  "But  will  some  of  you  tell  me 
what  I  am  to  do  now?  How  shall  I  break  it  all  to 
mother?  I  must  go  right  now  and  tell  her  all  about 
it,  and  I  dread  it  so." 

"You  will  do  nothing  of  the  kind,"  said  Frank. 
"Where  is  your  marriage  certificate?" 

Olive  produced  it  from  the  bosom  of  her  dress, 
saying:  "I  have  never  dared  to  let  it  leave  me  for 
an  instant,  for  fear  some  one  would  see  it,  and  I 
have  longed  for  the  time  to  come  when  I  could  nail 
it  on  the  outside  of  the  house,  if  I  chose." 

Frank  took  it  and  handed  it  to  Harley,  saying: 
"Here,  Harley,  you  ought  to  have  some  pleasure  in 
life.  'Just  break  the  news  to  mother.'  " 


CHAPTER    XIX 

It  was  the  rule  at  Mrs.  Sargent's  boarding-house 
to  serve  a  big  dinner  on  Sunday  at  one  o'clock  and 
a  light  supper  at  six.  Mrs.  Sargent  was  often  heard 
to  say  that  she  was  sure  her  boarders  were  satisfied 
with  her  table,  as  they  so  seldom  missed  any  of  their 
meals.  She  would  say  this,  and  then  add:  "Don't 
you  think  so,  Mr.  Faxon?"  or,  "Don't  you  think  so, 
Mr.  Glidden?"  She  seldom  asked  Harley  Bean  or 
Dick  Vaughn,  Dick  on  account  of  the  episode  of  the 
marble  bowls,  and  Harley  because  she  tried  it  once 
and  he  said:  "Oh,  it  isn't  so  bad  as  that."  All  the 
boarders  laughed,  and  although  Mrs.  Sargent  did 
not  see  where  the  joke  came  in,  she  was  careful  not 
to  enter  into  conversation  with  him  again. 

The  Sunday  evening  on  which  Frank  and  Olive 
went  to  housekeeping  Mrs.  Sargent  was  about  the 
dining-room  during  the  supper-time.  Everything 
seemed  to  be  going  quite  smoothly  with  her;  she 
had  a  nice  word  for  this  one  or  the  other,  not  for 
getting  to  mention  the  fact  that  her  large  family 
was  well  represented.  She  was  saying:  "I  seldom 
lose  a  boarder,  unless  it  is  some  one  who  is  obliged 
to  leave  the  city.  I  really  cannot  remember  who 
was  the  last  one  to  leave  me." 

"Your  memory  is  exceedingly  short,  Mrs.  Sar 
gent,"  said  Harley. 

"Perhaps  I  have  forgotten  some  one  who  was 
here  but  a  short  time.  To  whom  do  you  refer  Mr. 
Bean?" 

221 


222  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

"I  was  thinking  of  Frank  Bard  well,  who  left  this 
morning,"  said  Harley. 

"Mr.  Bard  well  left  us  and  never  said  a  word 
about  it?  I  cannot  believe  you  Mr.  Bean.  Mr. 
Bardwell  was  such  a  perfect  gentleman,  and  paid 
me  so  promptly  every  week. ' ' 

"You  cannot  always  tell  about  these  young  men, 
and  if  I  were  in  your  place  I  would  look  around  to 
see  if  there  wasn't  something  missing." 

"Why,  Mr.  Bean!  How  you  talk!"  and  Mrs. 
Sargent  got  very  much  excited  at  the  thought  that 
Frank  Bardwell  should  have  gone  wrong. 

"Tell  me,  Mr.  Bean,  what  you  know,  or  what 
you  suspect.  Poor  Olive!  what  will  she  say?" 

' '  I  heard  what  Olive  said, ' '  Harley  replied.  ' '  She 
kissed  him  and  said  it  was  all  right." 

At  this  Mrs.  Sargent  was  speechless  and  Dick 
came  to  the  rescue. 

"Mrs.  Sargent"  said  he,  "Frank  is  all  right.  He 
has  married  your  daughter,  and  the  newly-married 
couple  have  gone  to  housekeeping.  Mr.  Bean  was 
commissioned  to  break  the  news  to  you  and  to  do  it 
nicely,  but  out  of  sympathy  for  your  daughter  and 
yourself  I  have  taken  the  duty  out  of  his  hands." 

Then  turning  to  Harley,  he  said:  "Hand  me  that 
paper. ' ' 

Harley  handed  out  the  marriage  certificate  and 
Dick  handed  it  over  to  Mrs.  Sargent,  who  in  turn 
handed  it  to  Mr.  Faxon,  with  the  request  that  he 
read  it.  This  he  did,  and  then  the  facts  came  out 
that  Frank  and  Olive  had  been  married  nearly  two 
weeks.  After  the  supper  was  over  Mrs.  Sargent 
followed  Dick  up  to  his  room  to  find  out  more  about 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  223 

the  affair  if  possible,  and  Dick  gave  her  as  near  a 
detailed  account  of  it  as  he  knew. 

The  marriage  of  Frank  and  Olive  gave  the  board 
ers  at  Mrs.  Sargent's  enough  to  talk  about  to  last 
them  several  days,  and  they  finally  decided  that  it 
was  a  very  fine  match,  although  they  were  never 
able  to  understand  why  they  married  as  they  did 
when  there  really  could  be  no  objection  on  either 
side. 

Dick  had  waited  anxiously  for  a  call  from  Mrs. 
Richards,  but  none  came.  At  last  he  decided  that 
he  would  make  one  mere  trial  to  see  Mabel,  and 
with  that  object  in  view  he  called  one  evening  at 
her  home.  He  sent  in  his  card  and  asked  for  Mrs. 
Richards,  and,  to  his  surprise,  was  allowed  to  see 
her. 

"I  have  come,"  said  Dick,  "because  I  was  tired 
of  waiting  for  you  to  send  for  me.  I  can  see  no 
reason  why  I  should  not  see  Mabel,  and  I  assure  you 
if  it  is  her  desire  that  I  should  not  call  again,  I  will 
respect  her  wishes." 

Mr.  Richards  was  present,  but  although  he 
treated  Dick  very  kindly,  he  seemed  to  have  no 
voice  in  the  matter. 

"I  had  hoped,"  said  Mrs.  Richards,  "that  you 
would  take  your  dismissal  from  me,  but  if  you  must 
see  Mabel,  it  may  as  well  be  over  with  now  as 
ever." 

After  saying  this,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richards  retired 
from  the  room,  and  in  a  few  moments  Mabel  came 
in.  She  showed  the  effects  of  her  sickness,  and  at 
first  seemed  ill  at  ease  in  Dick's  presence. 


224  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

"I  am  so  glad  to  be  able  to  see  you  once  more, 
Mabel,  and  I  trust  I  am  not  to  receive  my  dismissal 
from  your  lips.  I  am  ready  to  answer  any  ques 
tions  you  may  ask,  and  I  trust  you  will  not  look 
upon  my  previous  misfortune  as  your  mother  seems 
to. 

"You  did  no  wrong,  did  you?" 

"Certainly  not,  Mabel.  It  was  one  of  those 
unfortunate  affairs  that  might  come  to  any  one. 
Shall  I  tell  you  all  about  it?" 

"No,  Dick;  I  have  asked  you  the  only  question 
about  it  that  I  ever  intend  to.  Now  I  want  to  do  a 
little  talking  myself.  Since  I  have  been  sick  I  have 
done  a  great  deal  of  thinking,,  and  I  have  thought 
of  every  word  you  ever  said  to  me,  and,  Dick,  all 
you  said  to  me  about  the  South  and  the  negroes  was 
right.  I  am  not  sorry  I  went,  for  I  have  seen  some 
things  with  my  own  eyes  that  I  otherwise  could  not 
have  believed.  Now,  Dick,  you  once  told  me  that 
you  loved  me.  Are  you  willing  to  give  me  up 
now?" 

"Do  you  want  me  to  give  you  up?" 

"That  does  not  answer  my  question,  and  to  get 
at  what  I  must  say  I  want  you  to  answer  that 
question." 

"Then  of  course  I  must  answer  it.  I  am  not 
willing  to  give  you  up  and  never  shall  be  willing  to 
do  so,  although  if  you  demand  it  I  suppose  I  must." 

"I  shall  never  demand  it,  Dick.  But  listen. 
Mother  has  decided  matters  for  me.  I  can  never 
tell  you  how  I  have  suffered  over  it.  She  told  me 
all  about  your  arrest  and  trial,  and  that  although 
you  were  acquitted,  you  could  not  get  your  situation 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  225 

back.  She  has  told  me  that  it  would  kill  her  if  I 
ever  had  anything  to  do  with  you  again;  and,  Dick, 
she  is  my  mother.  Would  you  advise  me  to  do  any 
thing  contrary  to  my  mother's  wishes?  She  has 
been  a  good  mother  to  me;  every  wish  of  my  life 
has  been  supplied  by  her — all  but  this  one,  Dick. 
Now  will  you  tell  me  what  to  do?" 

Dick  hung  his  head,  but  said  nothing. 

"I  felt  sure  you  would  not  advise  me  to  do  any 
thing  against  my  mother's  wishes,  but  I  feel  that  I 
cannot  do  right  by  her  and  by  you  too,  and  for  that 
reason  and  no  other  I  am  going  to  say  this :  I  love 
you,  Dick,  better  than  my  own  life.  We  have 
never  been  engaged,  but  I  have  always  felt  that 
there  was  no  one  else  on  earth  whom  I  could  marry. 
Now,  I  cannot  marry  you  and  I  shall  never  marry 
any  one,  but  as  I  have  no  right  to  keep  you  from 
some  one  else  whom  you  might  love,  marry  and  be 
happy  with,  I  am  forced  to  say  I  will  let  you  go. 
No  one  can  stop  me  from  loving  you,  I  cannot  stop 
myself;  and  when  you  go  all  the  light  will  have  gone 
out  of  my  life,  but  I  shall  have  done  my  duty  by 
myself  and  you.  I  have  prayed  over  this  and  have 
cried  over  it  by  the  hour,  but  it  is  done  now." 

The  two  sat  in  silence  for  a  few  moments.  At 
last  Mabel  said:  "Why  don't  you  speak,  Dick?" 

"I  will  speak,  Mabel.  You  have  decided  to  do 
what  you  think  is  your  duty,  and  I  am  going  to  do 
what  I  know  to  be  mine.  As  long  as  I  know  that 
you  love  me  I  shall  never  give  you  up,  for  some 
thing  tells  me  that  the  time  will  come  when  there 
will  be  no  barriers  between  us.  I  do  not  know  how 
it  will  come  about,  but  it  will  come,  and  when  it 


226  RICHARD    VAUGHN 

does  come  let  us  both  be  ready  to  take  advantage  of 
it.  You  are  of  age,  Mabel,  and  I  might  advise  you 
to  let  your  love  for  me  rule  in  this  matter,  but  I 
have  put  that  temptation  away  from  me,  for  I  know 
you  would  not  be  happy  if  you  acted  contrary  to 
your  mother's  wishes.  When  we  part  to-night  we 
may  not  meet  again  for  some  time,  but  the  light  of 
your  life  is  not  going  out  with  me,  for  my  love 
shall  be  as  constant  as  your  own. ' ' 
"Mabel!" 

It  was  Mrs.  Richards  who  called,  and  as  she  called 
she  walked  into  the  room.  Dick  and  Mabel  rose. 
Mabel  gave  him  her  hand,  which  he  raised  to  his 
lips  and  kissed,  and  then  without  a  word  passed  out 
of  the  house. 

"You  were  a  long  time  dismissing  him,  Mabel." 
"Yes,  mother,  but  what  I  did  I  did  for  you." 
"You  shall    never  regret  it,    Mabel;    and  some 
time  when  you  are  married  to  some  one  befitting 
your  station  in  life  you  will  thank  me  for  taking  the 
stand  that  I  have.      I  presume   Mr.    Vaughn    tried 
to  induce  you  to  marry  him  anyway,  didn't  he?" 

"No,  mother,  you  wrong  him;  he  is  too  much  of 
a  man  for  that.  But  don't  let  us  talk  about  it 
to-night ;  I  am  so  tired  and  want  to  go  to  my  own 
room." 

Lizzy  Burley  loved  excitement  and  adventure. 
Her  strong  love  of  adventure  was  one  of  the  reasons 
for  her  being  willing  to  play  the  part  she  was  play 
ing.  One  of  her  strong  points  was  making  love. 
She  loved  to  walk  out  with  a  fine-looking  man,  and 
if  she  could  induce  the  fine-looking  man  to  become 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  227 

interested  in  her,  she  was  in  her  glory.  If  rich 
men  or  fine-looking  men  were  not  handy,  she  was 
ready  to  do  a  little  flirting  with  the  boy  who  brought 
the  meat  to  the  house,  or  she  would  condescend  to 
make  eyes  at  the  milkman. 

The  next  morning  after  her  incarceration  in  the 
private  madhouse — for  in  reality  that  was  what 
Doctor  Jordan's  private  asylum  amounted  to — she 
looked  about  for  some  one  to  flirt  with.  The  pick 
ing  seemed  rather  poor  in  this  direction,  for  the  only 
attendant  she  could  discover  was  a  hard-featured 
matron. 

After  breakfast  the  doctor  called  on  her,  and  she 
tried  her  handsome  hazel  eyes  on  him  with  some 
effect.  The  doctor  was  rather  plain-looking,  but 
very  susceptible  to  flattery,  and  it  did  not  take  long 
for  Lizzy  to  find  this  out.  After  going  the  rounds 
of  his  other  patients,  he  returned  to  Lizzy  and  told 
her  what  handsome  eyes  she  had,  and  that  he  was 
going  to  try  to  get  some  of  the  sadness  out  of  her 
face.  Lizzy  did  not  say  much  except  with  her  eyes, 
but  they  were  enough  to  win  the  doctor.  She  told 
him  she  wanted  to  walk,  and  he  took  her  all  about 
the  house  and  introduced  her  to  the  different 
patients.  He  took  her  to  the  patients'  hall,  where 
all  of  them  who  could  be  trusted  were  playing 
games,  playing  on  musical  instruments,  or  in  some 
other  way  amusing  themselves. 

Lizzy  had  almost  forgotten  why  she  was  there 
when  a  face  attracted  her  attention.  The  doctor 
had  been  called  away,  and  when  Lizzy  discovered 
this  face  that  looked  so  familiar  the  young  lady  was 
looking  at  her  intently.  Lizzy  was  sharp  enough 


228  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

not  to  go  to  her  at  once,  but  began  making  the 
acquaintance  of  some  of  the  other  patients  whose 
looks  she  liked.  After  a  time  she  came  near  the 
girl  she  had  noticed,  and,  turning  on  her  quickly, 
said: 

"What  is  your  name?" 

"Edith  Jones,"  said  the  stranger. 

"Hello,"  said  Lizzy  to  herself,  "here  is  a  mystery. 
I  wonder  what  this  means." 

Soon  afterwards  she  met  the  girl  again,  and  said: 
"Who  told  you  to  say  your  name  was  Edith  Jones?" 

Tears  came  into  the  young  lady's  eyes  and  she 
turned  away. 

The  doctor  came  again  and  Lizzy  amused  herself 
by  asking  questions  about  the  different  patients. 
She  asked  the  names  of  several,  and  when  she  got 
around  to  it  she  asked  the  name  of  the  girl  whom 
she  took  to  be  Laura  Morgan.  She  was  told  that 
the  girl  was  Edith  Jones,  from  Vermont.  The  fact 
that  the  doctor  mentioned  Vermont  or  any  state 
decided  Lizzy  that  she  was  on  the  right  track.  The 
one  thing  that  puzzled  her  was  that  Laura  watched 
her  so  closely. 

In  the  afternoon  Lizzy  decided  that  she  would 
make  sure  of  her  ground,  and  sitting  down  near  the 
young  lady,  said:  "Don't  watch  me  so  closely;  I 
am  here  to  help  you.  Your  name  is  not  Jones  and 
you  are  not  from  Vermont." 

The  girl,  without  moving  her  head,  said:  "Where 
am  I  from?" 

"From  Georgia." 

"Who  sent  you  here?" 

"No  one  that  you  know,  but  he  is  working  for 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  229 

a  young  doctor,  your  sweetheart,  Doctor  Love — 
something,  but  I  have  forgotten  what." 

"Lovelace,"  said  Laura. 

Lizzy  got  up  and,  without  looking  at  Laura, 
walked  about  the  room. 

The  rest  of  the  afternoon  she  paid  no  more  atten 
tion  to  Laura  other  than  to  notice  that  she  had 
stopped  watching  her.  To  Lizzy  this  was  the  most 
interesting  occupation  she  had  found  next  to  making 
love.  That  came  first  always  but  here  it  was  sort 
of  an  even  tiling  the  only  subject  for  her  love-mak 
ing  being  the  doctor,  who  was  anything  but  attract 
ive. 

The  next  day  the  two  girls  seemed  to  avoid  each 
other.  Lizzy  did  so  because  she  had  found  this 
thing  to  be  deeper  than  she  expected,  and  Laura 
had  kept  to  herself  because  she  thought  she  detected 
in  Lizzy's  manner  a  desire  that  matters  should  not 
be  crowded.  The  day  after,  however,  the  girls 
managed  to  get  into  a  position  where  they  could 
talk  and  not  appear  to  be  doing  so. 

"Why  have  you  never  sent  any  word  to  the  doc 
tor  in  all  these  months?"  began  Lizzy. 

"I  have  left  no  stone  unturned  to  get  word  to 
him,  but  you  have  no  idea  what  kind  of  a  place  this 
is.  Before  any  one  is  allowed  to  go  into  the  recep 
tion  room  to  meet  friends  they  are  stripped  and 
searched.  Women  have  been  whipped  for  carrying 
out  notes,  and  I  have  been  punished  for  sending 
them.  I  am  only  surprised  that  I  have  been  treated 
so  well,  but  I  surmise  that  niy  liberty  is  only  to  be 
purchased  by  my  marrying  a  man  I  detest." 

"My!    it  wouldn't  take  me  long  to  get  out  if  I 


23o  RICHARD    VAUGHN 

could  get  out  that  way,  and  I  would  make  him 
wish  within  a  week  he  had  never  seen  me." 

Laura  looked  up  surprised.  She  had  decided  that 
this  girl  was  a  peculiar  character,  but  now  it 
occurred  to  her  that  perhaps  she  was  not  sent  by 
Doctor  Lovelace,  but  that  she  was  sent  as  a  spy 
from  her  step-mother.  It  seemed  to  her  from  this 
last  remark  as  though  Lizzy  were  sounding  her  as 
to  her  willingness  to  marry  a  certain  man  who  had 
tried  to  pay  her  attention,  and  who,  for  some 
reason,  had  the  sanction  of  her  step-mother.  What 
had  become  of  him  she  did  not  know,  but  she  had 
been  dreading  the  time  when  he  would  come  on  the 
scene  again. 

Determined  to  find  out  something  if  possible  in 
regard  to  Lizzy,  she  said:  "What  proof  have  I  that 
you  are  here  in  my  interest?" 

"You  haven't  any,  Miss,  and  I  have  none  to  give 
you,  but  perhaps  I  could  get  you  some  if  I  could  see 
that  doctor  sweetheart  of  yours." 

"Have  you  never  seen  him?" 

"No,  but  if  you  will  trust  me  I  will  get  you  out  of 
here." 

The  doctor  came  in  and  walked  over  to  where 
the  two  girls  were. 

"Why  don't  you  two  girls  get  acquainted  and  not 
sit  here  with  your  backs  to  each  other?" 

"I  hadn't  noticed  her,"  said  Lizzy,  but  as  she 
got  up  and  turned  to  speak,  Laura  left  her  chair 
and  went  away. 

"She  is  a  queer  case,"  said  the  doctor.  "She  has 
been  here  over  a  year  now  and  seems  about  the 
same  as  when  she  came." 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  331 

"Are  these  people  all  crazy,  Doctor?" 

"Not  exactly  what  you  might  call  crazy,  my  dear. 
Some  of  them  are  a  little  weak  in  the  head.  This 
is  caused  from  over-work,  over-study  or  disease. 
You  know  the  step  from  sanity  to  insanity  is  so 
slight  that  lots  of  people  step  over  the  line  before 
they  know  it. ' ' 

"But  my  head  is  not  weak,  Doctor.  Why  am  I 
here?  It  is  true,  I  cannot  study,  but  I  have  never 
been  able  to  study,  and  I  don't  think  that  I  should 
be  shut  up  in  a  madhouse  just  for  not  being  able  to 
study." 

"Tut,  tut,"  said  the  doctor.  "Don't  say 
such  harsh  things.  This  is  more  of  a  retreat 
for  tired  ladies  and  should  be  thought  of  in  that 
light." 

"Doctor,  why  don't  you  get  married?  You  are 
such  a  nice  man  and  know  so  much.  I  think  I 
could  marry  you  myself  if  you  would  promise  to  be 
real  nice  and  sweet  to  me." 

The  doctor  was  flattered.  He  smiled  upon 
her  in  a  patronizing  sort  of  a  way,  and  said 
he  had  so  many  ladies  under  his  charge  he  was 
afraid  the  others  would  be  jealous  if  he  paid 
too  much  attention  to  one.  He  left  her,  thinking 
she  was  a  very  interesting  patient  and  one  worth 
studying. 

At  the  end  of  a  week  Harley  called  and  asked  to 
see  his  sister.  He  was  invited  into  a  private  recep 
tion  room,  and  Lizzy  was  sent  for.  Contrary  to 
Harley's  expectations,  the  doctor  stayed  in  the 
room  with  him.  This  made  Harley  a  little  nervous 
and  he  began  to  think  that  Lizzy  had  been  indiscreet 


232  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

and  that  if  the  girl  they  were  hunting  for  were 
really  there,  Lizzy  in  her  impulsiveness  would  give 
the  thing  away. 

Lizzy  came  in  with  the  matron  and,  walking  over 
to  Harley,  kissed  him. 

"I  am  glad  to  see  you,  brother.  Have  you  come 
to  take  me  away?" 

"I  hardly  expected  you  to  be  rested  enough  to  go 
so  soon,  but  I  thought  I  must  come  and  see  how 
you  were  getting  along." 

The  doctor  sat  and  watched  them.  Of  course  he 
pretended  to  be  studying  his  patient,  but  both 
Harley  and  Lizzy  were  of  the  opinion  that  he  sus- 
picioned  something.  The  doctor  made  no  move  to 
go,  and  after  a  few  commonplace  remarks,  Harley 
said: 

"I  really  think  you  are  better,  Lizzy.  Now,  tell 
me,  was  I  right  in  bringing  you  here?" 

"Yes,  Harley,  you  were  right,  and  although  I  was 
very  happy  here  with  the  doctor  before  you  came, 
seeing  you  makes  me  want  to  go  home  with  you. 
May  I?" 

"We  will  have  to  let  the  doctor  decide  that,  little 
one."  And  the  doctor,  of  course,  decided  that 
Harley  should  pay  another  week's  board,  which  he 
did. 

Harley  was  puzzled,  and  looked  it.  If  he  under 
stood  Lizzy  right,  Laura  was  there,  but  he  did  not 
feel  exactly  sure  that  Lizzy  read  his  thoughts. 
However,  as  Harley  started  to  go,  she  made  a  scene 
which  would  have  done  credit  to  an  actress.  She 
clung  to  him  and  cried  until  she  got  a  good  chance 
to  whisper  in  his  ear,  "She  is  here."  Then  she 


RICHARD  VAUGHN  233 

collapsed  and  fell  on  the  floor  and  had  to  be  carried 
away  by  the  attendants. 

She  surprised  the  doctor. 

"A  most  wonderful  case,"  he  told  Harley,  and 
that  gentleman  told  him  to  do  the  best  he  could 
with  her  and  he  would  call  again  soon. 


CHAPTER  XX 

The  next  day  after  Harley's  visit  to  Lizzy  at  Doc 
tor  Jordan's  private  retreat  was  Sunday,  and  it  was 
pre-arranged  that  there  should  be  a  meeting  of  the 
boys  in  Dick's  room.  Harley  had  planned  it  all, 
and  had  invited  his  friend,  Harvey  Lippman,  the 
young  lawyer,  to  meet  with  them.  Frank  had  come 
over  from  Cambridge  with  his  wife  to  dine  with  his 
mother-in-law,  and  the  little  gathering  in  Dick's 
room  was  complete.  Doctor  Lovelace  had  gotten 
so  used  to  having  Harley  tell  him  to  wait  a  little 
longer  that  he  had  not  even  asked  if  there  were  any 
new  developments.  He  paid  all  of  the  bills  with 
out  a  question,  and  controlled  his  feelings  the  best 
he  could.  His  plan  would  have  been  different. 
He  would  have  employed  all  the  detectives  in  the 
country,  and,  as  Harley  said,  bankrupt  himself  to 
no  purpose. 

The  first  to  speak  after  they  were  all  assembled 
that  Sunday  afternoon  was  the  doctor,  who,  when 
he  found  Mr.  Lippman  knew  the  whole  story,  said : 

"I  cannot  but  blame  myself  for  being  as  inactive 
as  I  have,  and  as  you  know  my  story,  Mr.  Lippman, 
I  am  sure  you  will  agree  with  me  that  I  could  have 
done  more  or  that  I  should  have  done  more,  if  that 
is  a  better  way  to  put  it." 

"From  what  Harley  and  Dick  tell  me,  Doctor,  I 
think  you  have  done  splendidly,"  said  Lippman, 
"and  knowing  you  to  be  a  Southerner,  I  must 

234 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  235 

say  I  am  surprised  that  you  have  shown  so  cool  a 
head." 

"Yes,  I  know  we  Southerners  have  the  name  of 
being  hot-headed,  but  with  men  like  these  crowd 
ing-  you  in  a  hole  all  the  time,  what  can  you  do? 
Besides,  I  consider  I  can  be  cool  when  occasion 
requires  it  as  well  as  you  of  the  North." 

"You  say  you  can,"  said  Lippman.  "Now,  I  am 
going  to  put  you  to  the  test.  Miss  Morgan  has  been 
found. ' ' 

All  eyes  were  turned  towards  the  doctor,  who 
jumped  to  his  feet  and  almost  screamed,  "Where  is 
she?  Tell  me,  quick!  Why  do  we  sit  here  doing 
nothing?" 

"Sit  down  Doctor,"  said  Lippman.  "This  is 
the  time  to  show  your  nerve." 

The  doctor  sat  down,  but  he  trembled  like  a  leaf 
and  turned  deathly  pale. 

Lippman  resumed:  "Miss  Morgan  is  well  and  in 
no  immediate  danger,  so  calm  yourself,  Doctor. 
You  have  been  under  a  great  strain,  but  the  time 
has  nearly  arrived  when  you  can  act  and  when  you 
do  act  you  want  all  of  your  nerve  with  you." 

Frank  and  Dick  were  both  interested,  for  this  was 
the  first  day  they  had  heard  of  Miss  Morgan's  being 
found.  They  all  sat  in  silence  for  a  few  moments. 
The  doctor's  natural  color  came  back  to  his  face, 
and  he  said : 

"Go  on,  Mr.  Lippman.  I  will  behave  myself 
now. ' ' 

Lippman  continued:  "When  Harley  Bean  inter 
ested  himself  in  your  case  he  saw  further  into  it 
than  you  did.  He  did  not  take  any  stock  in  your 


~36  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

idea  cf  schools  or  hospitals,  but  realizing  that  you 
had  an  adventuress  to  deal  with,  made  up  his  mind 
that  if,  as  you  believed,  Miss  Morgan  were  here, 
she  would  be  found  somewhere  under  guard.  He 
at  once  secured  a  list  cf  the  private  asylums  and 
visited  all  of  them.  He  interested  me  in  the  case, 
and  when  I  had  time  I  often  went  with  him.  We 
looked  them  all  over  but  one.  In  this  one  we  were 
not  allowed;  therefore  other  means  had  to  be 
resorted  to.  Harley  secured  the  services  of  a  young 
woman  to  act  as  his  sister,  and  she  is  in  there  now 
being  treated,  and  has  kept  her  eyes  open.  Last 
night  Harley  was  informed  that  Miss  Morgan  was 
there,  and  also  that  she  was  quite  well.  The  next 
thing  is  to  get  her  out,  and  that  is  what  we  have 
come  here  to-day  to  talk  over." 

"Why  not  go  and  demand  at  once  that  she  be  set 
at  liberty?"  said  the  doctor. 

"Just  stop  and  think  a  minute,  Doctor.  Miss 
Morgan  has  no  doubt  been  adjudged  insane.  She 
has  no  doubt  had  a  guardian  appointed,  and  you 
know  that  if  we  should  go  and  demand  her,  they 
would  only  laugh  at  us  for  our  pains.  If  we  should 
do  this  we  would  show  our  hand  and  give  them  a 
chance  to  send  her  to  some  other  State.  You  have 
no  legal  claim  on  her,  and  the  people  who  have  put 
her  there  have  a  most  perfect  claim.  We  might  get 
out  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  but  we  would  be  fight 
ing  at  a  disadvantage.  It  would  be  the  commence 
ment  of  a  long  and  tedious  trial,  and  might  drive 
the  girl  insane,  if  she  is  all  right  now.  As  it  stands 
to-day  they  have  the  law  on  their  side  and  they 
have  the  girl  in  their  possession,  which  you  know  is 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  237 

nine  points  of  law  anyway.  Now,  what  we  all  have 
to  do  is  to  put  on  our  thinking-  caps  and  decide  upon 
a  plan  of  action  and  act  quickly." 

The  doctor  had  been  watching  Lippman  earnestly 
while  he  was  speaking,  but  when  he  had  finished  he 
looked  around  at  the  rest  of  the  company.  Notic 
ing  Harley,  he  said:  "What  do  you  think,  Harley?" 

"I  think,"  said  Harley,  as  he  threw  one  leg  over 
the  other  and  started  to  light  his  pipe,  "that  we 
ought  to  have  those  nine  points. ' ' 

"That's  it  exactly,"  said  Dick,  "but  how?" 

"Yes,"  said  Lippman,  "what  we  need  is  posses 
sion,  but  to  take  a  person  away  from  their  legal 
protectors  is  called  kidnapping  and  kidnapping  is  a 
serious  crime  in  almost  any  State. " 

Harley  then  told  the  story  of  his  meeting  with 
Lizzy  the  night  before  and  what  a  difficult  matter 
it  was  to  get  at  the  inmates;  also  how  suspicious  the 
doctor  appeared  to  be. 

"I  am  not  here  to  advise  your  breaking  laws, " 
said  Lippman,  "but  if  you  will  break  laws  I  will  be 
only  too  glad  to  tender  my  services  in  helping  you 
out  of  the  scrape.  I  may  not  be  able  to  save  you, 
but  I  can  try.  What  are  you  thinking  about,  Dick?" 

"I  was  thinking  that  if  all  that  stood  between  me 
and  the  object  of  my  affections  was  an  old  fogy  doc 
tor  and  a  bulldog,  I  would  be  a  married  man  within 
twenty-four  hours." 

"Either  that  or  in  jail  for  breaking  and  enter 
ing,"  said  Lippman,  with  a  laugh. 

"Perhaps  so,"  said  Dick,  "but  I  believe  that  with 
a  little  planning  the  thing  can  be  done." 

"  All  right, "  said  the  doctor,  rising  and  walking 


238  RICHARD  VAUGHN 

the  floor,  "you  do  the  planning,  Dick,  and  give  me 
the  post  of  danger  and  I  will  show  whether  I  have 
what  you  fellows  call  nerve  or  not." 

"As  a  matter  of  precaution,"  said  Lippman,  "it 
would  be  well,  perhaps,  if  I  did  not  know  what  you 
intended  to  do,  and  as  I  have  another  engagement, 
I  think  I  will  go.  Before  I  go,  however,  I  want  to 
caution  you  in  regard  to  breaking  the  laws  of  the 
State,  and  in  saying  this  I  want  to  tell  3'ou  that  I  do 
not  think  there  is  any  law  under  the  circumstances 
that  will  act  quickly  enough  to  get  the  girl  away 
from  these  people.  It  is  one  of  those  cases  where 
in  theory  the  law  is  all  right,  but  where  in  actual 
practice  the  law  will  not  give  justice  to  the  proper 
parties  as  the  law-makers  intended.  A  doctor,  if  he 
be  an  honest  man — and  I  have  found  that  most  of 
them  are — can  help  carry  out  the  letter  and  inten 
tion  of  the  law  in  many  cases,  but  when  one  of  them 
goes  over  to  the  side  of  crime,  he  is  one  of  the  most 
dangerous  of  criminals.  In  a  great  measure  he  has 
the  law  on  his  side,  or  rather  he  turns  the  law  to  his 
interest,  and  being  an  educated  man,  he  is  the 
hardest  kind  of  a  criminal  to  cope  with." 

After  shaking  hands  all  around,  Mr.  Lippman  left 
the  others  to  their  planning. 

"From  what  I  get  from  Mr.  Lippman,"  said  the 
doctor,  "he  gives  us  to  understand  that  the  law  will 
not  help  us,  and  that  if  we  try  to  help  ourselves  we 
will  most  likely  get  the  worst  of  it.  Am  I  right?" 

"Not  exactly,"  said  Frank.  "He  tells  us  that 
the  law  will  not  help  us,  and  he  gives  us  to  under 
stand  that  we  are  going  against  a  hard  proposition 
if  we  take  the  law  into  our  own  hands,  or,  in  other 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  239 

words,  that  whatever  we  do  we  must  be  cautious. 
Now,  let  us  get  down  to  business.  What  plan  have 
you  in  mind,  Harley?" 

"To  tell  you  the  plain  truth,  boys,  I  haven't  any. 
When  I  went  out  to  that  crib  and  found  out  what 
kind  of  a  duffer  we  had  to  deal  with  and  how  he 
protected  himself  at  every  point,  I  made  up  my 
mind  that  I  was  up  against  one  proposition  where 
bluff  would  not  work.  I  expected  to  have  a  little 
talk  with  Lizzy,  but  there  wasn't  a  shadow  of  a 
chance  and  I  was  crippled.  I  feel  that  time  is 
needed  to  think,  and  we  haven't  the  time." 

"I  think,"  said  the  doctor,  "that  I,  of  most  men, 
am  to  be  pitied.  I  have  the  most  at  stake  and  am 
willing  to  take  any  chances,  even  the  most  hazard 
ous,  but  you  have  all  decided  that  I  must  not  make 
a  move  because  I  cannot  cover  up  my  Southern 
dialect.  If  you  will  persist  in  keeping  me  in  the 
background  until  you  have  some  plan  of  operation 
formed,  by  all  that's  good,  form  your  plans  soon  and 
let  us  get  to  w:rk.  Dick,  you  have  not  spoken  for 
an  hour.  When  are  you  going  to  say  something?" 

"I  will  talk  to-morrow  evening,"  said  Dick,  "and 
you  can  all  get  ready  to  go  to  work.  I  may  not  be 
up  at  the  office  to-morrow,  Doctor,  but  you  will  be 
there  and  can  make  it  right  with  Jim." 

When  Dick  said  he  would  say  something  the  next 
evening  it  seemed  to  put  new  life  into  all  of  the 
rest,  for  although  Harley  Bean  seemed  to  be  the 
philosopher  of  the  band,  when  it  came  to  a  question 
of  needing  a  long  head,  Dick  was  looked  upon  as  the 
one  who  had  it. 

The  next  morning  Dick  called  upon  a  detective  of 


240  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

whom  he  had  heard  Harley  speak  as  a  prize  in  the 
profession,  and  introduced  himself  as  James  Larkin, 
from  Providence.  Dick  told  him  a  cock-and-bull 
story  about  having  had  a  sister  abducted,  and  how 
he  had  been  indirectly  informed  that  she  was  in  the 
toils  of  one  Doctor  Jordan,  who  kept  a  private  mad 
house  in  West  Roxbury.  Dick  told  him  that  he  was 
afraid  of  the  slow  workings  of  the  law  and  that  he 
wanted  some  one  to  help  him  to  get  into  the  Jordan 
asylum  at  once,  and  that  if  he  once  get  his  eyes  on 
his  sister  he  would  take  care  of  the  rest  in  his  own 
way,  without  the  help  of  the  detective. 

"You  see,"  continued  Dick,  "if  I  found  out  for 
sure  that  she  was  there  I  would  tell  the  doctor  in 
your  presence  that  I  should  hold  him  personally 
responsible  for  her  safety,  until  I  could  get  the 
necessary  papers,  and  I  would  have  the  house 
watched  while  I  was  away." 

"Your  plan  is  all  right,"  said  the  detective,  "but 
where  do  I  come  in?" 

"You  come  in  in  this  way:  if  you  will  get  me 
into  the  house  and  give  me  a  chance  to  make  a 
thorough  search  of  the  premises,  without  having 
some  one  watch  me  all  the  time,  I  will  give  you  a 
hundred  dollars,  and  if  we  find  my  sister  there  I 
will  give  you  five  hundred  dollars ;  but  we  must  do 
this  without  appealing  to  the  law.  What  do  you 
say?" 

The  detective  did  not  say  anything  for  a  time. 
He  made  up  his  mind  that  hs  had  a  soft  snap  for  the 
hundred  and  a  possible  chance  for  the  five  hundred. 
He  did  not  care  to  seem  over-anxious,  but  finally 
said: 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  241 

"Make  it  one  hundred  and  fifty  in  case  we  do  not 
find  the  girl,  if  I  give  you  a  complete  chance  to 
search  the  place,  and  it  is  a  bargain." 

"No,"  said  Dick,  "I  will  nut  do  that,  but  I  will 
do  better.  I  am  almost  positive  that  the  girl  for 
whom  I  am  looking  is  there,  and  if  I  succeed  in 
finding  my  sister  I  will  make  it  seven  hundred  in 
stead  of  five." 

"Done,"  said  the  detective.  "When  shall  we 
start  in?" 

"At  once,"  said  Dick,  "for  we  haven't  a  moment 
to  lose." 

Five  minutes  afterwards  the  two  were  on  their 
way  to  the  Providence  station,  and  it  may  be 
credited  to  Dick's  good  luck  that  he  did  not  happen 
to  meet  any  of  his  acquaintances.  The  next  train 
that  stopped  at  West  Roxbury  found  the  two  men 
on  board,  and  a  little  before  noon  they  were  at  the 
entrance  of  Doctor  Jordan's  retreat.  The  detective, 
Sam  Burke  by  name,  had  taken  the  lead,  and  he 
had  his  own  plan  of  operations.  This  was  his 
agreement  with  Dick,  who  did  not  have  the  least 
idea  how  they  were  to  gain  access  to  the  house. 

They  walked  directly  to  the  front  door  and  the 
detective  rang  the  bell.  The  door  was  opened  by 
one  of  the  doctor's  henchmen,  and  the  detective 
handed  him  his  card.  In  a  few  moments  the  two 
were  admitted  into  the  presence  of  the  doctor. 

"Hello.  Sam,"  said  the  doctor.  "What  do  you 
fellows  think  you  have  treed  now?" 

"We  think  we  have  treed  a  young  lady  from 
Providence,"  said  the  detective,  by  the  name  of 
Sarah  Larkin, "  giving  the  name  Dick  had  given 


242  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

him.  "Now,  if  she  is  here,  produce  her,  and  if  you 
claim  she  is  not,  give  my  pard  and  me  free  license 
to  search  the  house.  Oh,  I  forgot,  you  don't  know 
my  pard.  This  is  Dick  Williams,  Doctor  Jordan, 
and  as  sharp  a  detective  as  you  are  an  old  rascal." 

Dick  started  at  hearing  himself  addressed  by  his 
own  name,  but  he  realized  that  it  was  only  an  acci 
dent,  and  he  at  once  dropped  into  the  character  that 
Sam  Burke  had  given  him — that  of  another  detec 
tive. 

The  old  doctor  looked  at  Dick  and  then  back  at 
Sam,  and  said — and  his  little  dark  eyes  twinkled  as 
he  spoke: 

"I  like  you  Sam  because  you  come  out  and  tell 
just  where  you  stand,  but  you  will  find  that  I  am 
safe  from  the  law  and  also  from  all  you  fellows  who 
make  the  law  your  protector,  while  you  rob  your 
victims. ' ' 

"I  see  we  understand  each  other,  Doctor.  Now, 
let  me  tell  you  something:  we  are  in  dead  earnest 
in  this  thing,  and,  remembering  a  little  experience 
I  once  had  with  you,  you  can  rest  assured  that  not  a 
soul  will  leave  your  house,  until  we  have  given  up 
our  search,  without  being  shadowed.  We  knew 
what  kind  of  a  proposition  we  were  bucking  up 
against,  and  we  came  prepared.  I  want  to  tell  you 
another  thing.  We  haven't  any  papers  giving  us 
permission  to  search  your  house.  We  thought  we 
would  station  our  men  first  and  then  leave  it  to 
your  better  judgment  as  to  whether  you  would  let 
us  search  the  house  without  papers  or  compel  us  to 
get  them." 

"You  are  at  liberty  to  search  the  house,  gentle- 


RICHARD    VAUGHN  245 

men,  as  much  as  you  wish.  You  can  go  alone,  1 
will  send  an  attendant  with  you,  cr  I  will  g-j 
myself. ' ' 

"If  you  are  guilty  I  don't  know  what  your  game 
is,  Doctor.  But  come  on;  I  think  I  would  feel 
better  to  have  you  with  us." 

The  three  men  left  the  office  together  and  the 
search  commenced.  Dick  purposely  dropped  behind 
the  others,  and  as  soon  as  they  came  to  the  patients, 
commenced  to  talk  to  them.  The  questions  he 
asked  soon  put  the  doctor  off  his  guard.  This 
gave  Dick  the  chance  that  he  wanted.  They  came 
to  the  general  hall,  and  it  was  not  long  before  Dick 
picked  out  Lizzy  Burley  and,  watching  his  chance, 
got  near  her.  Lizzy  had  caught  sight  of  him  as  soon 
as  he  entered  the  room,  and  was  also  trying  to 
attract  his  attention.  This  was  the  kind  of  a  chance 
she  had  been  looking  for.  She  was  surprised,  how 
ever,  when  Dick  said : 

"Don't  look  surprised,  Lizzy.  I  am  a  friend  of 
Harley  Bean's,  and  you  must  tell  me  where  Laura 
is  at  once. ' ' 

"Are  you  her  sweetheart  Doctor?" 

"No,  but  tell  me  where  she  is." 

"She  hasn't  been  down  to-day  nor  yesterday. 
Her  room  is  on  the  next  floor  above  this,  in  the 
southwest  corner." 

The  doctor  and  Sam  were  coming.  As  they  came 
within  hearing  Lizzy  was  heard  to  say  to  Dick:  "I 
think  you  are  awfully  handsome.  Have  you  a  sweet 
heart?" 

Dick  pretended  to  be  confused,  and  Sam  laughed 
as  he  said: 


244  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

"Take  care  there,  Dick.  Some  of  these  people 
will  steal  you  yet." 

"There  is  one  thing  sure,"  said  Lizzy,  "no 
one  will  steal  you,  you  hateful  old  thing."  And 
with  this  she  walked  away  pouting.  The  object 
ive  point  with  Dick  was  the  southwest  corner 
of  the  floor  above,  and  after  a  time  that  room  was 
reached. 

"Yon  can  go  in  here  if  you  like,"  said  the  doctor 
as  he  placed  his  hand  on  the  knob  of  the  door,  "but 
Miss  Jones  is  very  sick." 

Dick  made  a  motion  as  if  to  open  the  door,  but  it 
was  locked.  A  light  rap  from  the  doctor  and  the 
door  was  opened  from  the  inside  by  an  attendant, 
and  Dick  and  the  doctor  passed  in.  Miss  Jones,  as 
she  was  called,  lay  in  bed.  A  critical  examination 
by  Dick  convinced  him  that  he  was  gazing  on  the 
features  of  Laura  Morgan,  and  it  also  convinced 
him  that  some  drug  had  been  used  for  reasons  best 
known  to  the  doctor.  Dick  had  his  own  opinions, 
however,  but  as  there  was  no  one  to  express  them 
to,  he  gave  a  hasty  glance  around  the  room  and  was 
ready  to  leave. 

The  rest  of  the  building  was  gone  through,  and 
particularly  the  upper  story  was  closely  examined. 
At  last  they  were  ready  to  go,  and  Dick  was  sure 
that  the  smile  the  doctor  gave  them  as  they  left  was 
of  the  sardonic  order. 

The  two  men  returned  at  once  to  the  city,  and 
Dick  paid  the  detective  as  he  had  agreed.  They 
parted  at  the  depot. 

As  soon  as  Dick  was  sure  that  he  had  gotten  rid 
of  the  detective  he  returned  to  the  depot  and  took 


RICHARD    VAUGHN  245 

the  next  train  for  West  Roxbury.  The  rest  of  the 
afternoon  he  occupied  himself  with  drawing  pic 
tures  of  the  doctor's  house  from  all  sides.  This  he 
could  do  very  well  without  being  seen,  as  there 
were  groves  of  trees  on  all  sides  of  the  house.  After 
it  grew  dark  he  once  more  visited  the  grounds,  re 
newed  his  acquaintance  with  the  watch  dog,  and 
twice  came  near  running  into  some  of  the  doctor's 
help. 

At  eight  o'clock  Dick  was  back  in  the  city,  and 
his  first  visit  was  to  a  restaurant,  where  he  fortified 
the  inner  man  with  a  good  substantial  meal.  Then 
he  boarded  a  car  for  the  west  end,  and,  about  nine 
o'clock  he  walked  into  his  room,  where  his  three 
friends  were  already  assembled.  Harley  was  smok 
ing  his  pipe  as  usual.  Frank  was  looking  over  the 
evening  paper  and  the  doctor  was  walking  the 
floor.  He  stopped  as  Dick  came  in  and  looked 
at  him  inquiringly,  but  said  nothing.  Dick  sat 
down,  took  out  a  cigar  and  deliberately  lit  it.  Then 
he  said: 

"At  ten  o'clock  we  want  a  hack  and  Frank  for  a 
driver.  If  it  is  at  the  entrance  of  the  archway  on 
Leverett  at  that  time  the  doctor  and  I  will  be  there 
to  join  you  and  if  any  of  you  are  not  prepared  to  go 
through  the  toughest  proposition  you  ever  tackled 
you  had  better  not  start." 

Frank  and  Harley  left  the  room,  and  Dick  took 
out  the  pictures  he  had  made  and  explained  his  plan 
to  the  doctor.  He  also  told  the  doctor  the  condition 
in  which  he  found  Miss  Morgan. 

About  half  an  hour  after  Frank  and  Harley  left 
the  house,  Dick  and  the  doctor  left  also,  and  they 


246  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

were  far  from  empty-handed,  for  Dick  had  already 
prepared  for  the  plan  he  had  in  mind.  A  few  min 
utes  after  they  arrived  at  the  appointed  place,  the 
hack  came  up,  and  they  were  soon  on  their  way  to 
West  Roxbury. 


CHAPTER    XXI 

It  was  a  long  ride  from  the  west  end  of  Boston  to 
Doctor  Jordan's  place  at  West  Roxbury,  but  Frank 
tcnew  there  was  no  hurry,  as  they  were  engaged  in 
a  scheme  that  could  be  much  better  carried  out  in 
the  last  half  of  the  night.  The  inmates  of  the  hack 
were,  as  the  reader  surmises,  Harley  Bean,  Dick 
Vaughn  and  Doctor  Lovelace.  Little  was  said 
among  these  three  on  the  trip,  for  the  reason 
that  Dick  had  gone  over  the  whole  plan  with  the 
doctor,  and  they  had  decided  that  Frank  would  be 
obliged  to  stay  with  the  horses  and  Harley  should 
act  as  watch,  so  that  the  other  two  would  not  be  sur 
prised. 

It  was  about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  when 
Frank  stopped  his  horses  at  one  of  the  little  groves 
near  Doctor  Jordan's  house.  The  three  inside 
passengers  had  all  been  asleep.  Of  course  they  did 
not  care  to  own  it,  but  it  was  a  fact  that  even  to 
Doctor  Lovelace  the  whole  party  had  drowsed  off 
into  a  state  of  semi-consciousness,  from  which  they 
were  aroused  by  the  stopping  of  the  hack.  Dick 
was  in  supreme  command,  and  as  soon  as  he  had 
alighted  he  bade  the  rest  be  quiet  and  stay  where 
they  were  while  he  took  in  the  situation.  Once 
more  Dick  made  friends  with  the  watch  dog,  but 
this  time  he  betrayed  his  would-be  friend,  and  the 
dog  lay  dead  before  him.  There  had  not  been  a 
sound  that  could  have  been  heard  a  rod  away,  but 

247 


24S  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

one  obstacle  had  been  wiped  out  of  the  path  cf  the 
young  men. 

When  Dick  returned  to  his  companions  there  was 
nothing  sleepy  about  them.  They  were  ready  to  do 
anything  to  help  in  the  matter,  and  were  as  wide 
awake  as  they  ever  had  been.  Frank  was  to  stay 
with  the  horses;  Harley  was  to  keep  watch  on  the 
outside  of  the  house  and  assist  where  he  could,  and 
the  doctor  and  Dick  were  to  enter  the  house,  find 
Miss  Morgan  and  carry  her  away.  Frank  was  not 
at  all  satisfied  with  the  part  he  was  to  play,  but  said 
nothing.  Harley  was  satisfied  with  his  part  and 
praised  Dick  for  his  judgment,  adding  that  it  took  a 
better  man  to  wait  and  watch  than  it  did  to  work. 

The  moon  had  gone  down ;  the  sky  was  overcast, 
and  it  was  decidedly  dark.  This  fact  Dick  had  decided 
was  their  first  streak  of  luck.  Dick  led  the  way  to 
the  dog-house,  and  the  other  two  saw  the  first  death 
done  ia  the  cause  of  the  doctor  and  his  sweetheart. 
The  dog-house  was  close  to  the  entrance  of  the  lad 
der-house  and  it  was  to  this  place  that  Dick  was 
leading  his  assistant.  The  door  of  the  ladder-house 
was  locked  but  it  was  only  a  moment's  work  to  pull 
off  the  lock  and  staple.  The  men  worked  quietly 
and  as  though  they  had  previously  rehearsed  their 
parts.  The  long  ladder  was  taken  out  and  carried 
to  the  back  of  the  house.  It  was  then  raised  t  > 
the  ell  and  a  shorter  ladder  \vas  brought  to  be  used 
from  the  ell  to  the  main  house.  In  a  few  moments 
Dick  Vaughn  and  Doctor  Lovelace  stood  upon  the 
roof  cf  the  main  part  cf  the  house.  After  a  little 
hunting  they  found  a  trap  door  leading  to  the  upper 
story  of  the  house,  which  was  not  locked.  The 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  249 

hatch  was  carefully  removed,  and  after  adjusting 
one  end  of  a  rope  to  a  bar  placed  across  the  open 
ing,  Dick  swung  himself  into  the  room  below,  and 
the  doctor  at  once  followed. 

They  found  themselves  in  a  hall,  from  which  all 
of  the  rooms  in  the  upper  story  opened.  At  one 
end  of  the  hall  a  dim  light  burned,  and  the  way  to 
the  room  occupied  by  Miss  Morgan  was  easily 
known  to  Dick.  There  was  no  time  to  lose,  but 
Dick  took  his  hat  off  and  looked  about  him.  As  he 
did  so  he  was  aware  that  they  were  being  watched, 
and  a  woman's  voice  was  heard  to  say:  "Harley, 
are  you  there?" 

"Yes,"  said  Dick,  and  motioning  to  the  doctor, 
they  be  th  stepped  into  the  room,  in  the  doorway  of 
which  stood  Lizzy  Burley. 

"This  is  DocUr  Lovelace,"  whispered  Dick. 
"Harley  is  down  below  on  watch.  We  are  here  to 
get  Miss  Morgan." 

"I  thought  as  much,"  said  Lizzy,  as  she  strained 
her  eyes  to  get  a  sight  of  the  doctor.  "I  heard  you 
on  the  roof  and  watched  you  through  my  transom. 
But,"  she  continued,  speaking  more  quickly,  "you 
must  cover  your  tracks.  Down  the  hall  a  little  way 
you  will  find  a  step-ladder.  Get  that  and  fix  the 
trap  door  at  once;  then  I  have  something  to  say  to 
you." 

The  trap  door  was  soon  fixed  and  the  young  men 
were  back  in  Lizzy's  room,  they  having  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  she  was  a  pretty  good  ally. 

"Now,  what  have  you  to  say,  Lizzy?"  asked  Dick. 

"I  slept  a  little  yesterday  so  as  to  be  able  to  keep 
awake  to-night,  for  I  found  out  that  Miss  Morgan 


25o  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

had  been  kept  in  her  room  against  her  will.  I  tried 
to  work  the  doctor  b}T  falling  in  love  with  him,  but 
he  was  too  old  a  fox  to  be  caught.  I  did  find  out 
something,  but  I  did  it  by  eavesdropping.  The 
doctor  and  the  head  matron  are  pretty  thick;  as 
near  as  I  can  find  out,  she  is  in  love  with  him  and 
he  is  afraid  of  her.  From  what  I  overheard  it  had 
been  decided  that  Miss  Morgan  should  either  marry 
some  one  who  had  been  selected  for  her  or  she  was 
to  be  kept  in  close  confinement  until  she  died.  She 
was  drugged  yesterday  while  the  house  was  being 
searched,  the  doctor  having  gotten  it  into  his  head 
that  this  inspection  by  the  detectives  had  some 
thing  to  do  with  her.  She  is  to  be  offered  her  free 
dom  soon  on  the  condition  that  she  at  once  marries 
this  man.  If  they  cannot  make  her  agree  to  it,  she 
is  to  be  taken  to  some  other  place  near  here,  and, 
as  the  doctor  says,  put  where  she  can't  smell  day 
light." 

As  Lizzy  finished  talking,  the  sound  of  wheels  was 
heard;  a  carriage  stopped  at  the  side  entrance. 

"We  haven't  a  minute  to  lose,"  said  Lizzy;  "they 
are  here  after  her  now.  Follow  me." 

They  followed  her  to  Miss  Morgan's  room.  Three 
light  raps  caused  the  door  to  be  opened  from  the 
inside,  and  the  three  entered.  Miss  Morgan  was 
lying  on  the  bed,  dressed  as  if  for  a  journey,  her 
long  cloak  almost  entirely  covering  her.  The  light 
was  turned  down,  and  the  matron  did  not  notice 
that  the  intruders  were  not  the  ones  she  was  expect 
ing,  until  a  command  from  Lizzy  caused  her  to  be 
seized,  gagged  and  bound.  The  girl  on  the  bed 
seemed  to  be  in  a  sort  of  stupor,  and  the  only  one 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  251 

really  alive  to  the  situation  was  Lizzy,  who  gave  her 
orders  in  such  a  manner  as  to  brook  no  delay  in 
carrying  them  out.  She  stripped  the  cloak  from 
the  girl  on  the  bed,  and  said: 

"Doctor,  you  carry  her  to  my  room."  Then 
turning  to  Dick,  she  said,  pointing  to  the  matron, 
"You  take  her  there,  too.  You  must  depend  upon 
yourselves  from  this  on,  for  I  am  going  to  stay 
here."  With  this  she  threw  herself  upon  the  bed 
and  drew  over  her  the  long  cloak  that  had  been  over 
Laura. 

The  men  realized  that  there  was  no  'time  to  lose, 
and  the  instructions  Lizzy  had  given  them  were 
carried  out  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell.  At  the 
first  word  from  Lizzy  the  doctor  had  taken  his 
sweetheart  in  his  arms  and  left  for  Lizzy's  room. 
Dick  did  not  have  such  an  easy  job,  as  the  matron, 
with  her  hands  tied  behind  her  and  a  gag  in  her 
mouth,  dropped  upon  the  floor.  Dick  glanced  at  her 
size  and  realized  that  she  was  too  large  to  carry. 
He  pulled  out  one  of  his  revolvers,  placed  the  muz 
zle  to  her  forehead,  and  said:  "You  can  spoil  this 
game,  but  if  you  do  you  will  pay  the  penalty  with 
your  life.  Get  up  and  move."  And  the  matron 
moved ;  not  a  moment  too  soon,  however,  as  the  two 
men  with  their  captives  had  just  gotten  into  Lizzy's 
room  when  they  heard  footsteps  en  the  stairs. 

The  doctor,  after  laying  down  his  more  than  half 
unconscious  burden,  turned  his  attention  to  the 
matron.  He  took  a  small  medicine  case  from  his 
pocket,  and  baring  one  of  her  arms,  soon  had  her 
under  the  influence  of  some  powerful  drug.  Then 
he  laid  her  on  the  floor  in  a  comfortable  position, 


252  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

and,  as  Dick  afterwards  said,  looked  upon  his  work 
with  unconcealed  pricle. 

Footsteps  were  again  heard,  and  through  a  slight 
opening  in  the  door  Dick  could  see  that  a  woman 
was  being  carried  downstairs.  A  few  moments 
later  a  carriage  was  heard  as  it  was  driven  away 
from  the  door. 

On  account  cf  the  matron  and  the  chances  that  a 
search  for  her  would  be  made,  it  was  decided  that 
the  only  way  of  escape  was  through  the  trap  in  the 
roof,  and  as  the  carriage  was  heard  to  start  Dick  and 
the  doctor  went  to  work.  The  step-ladder  was 
brought  into  play  again,  and  Miss  Morgan  was 
carried  up  through  the  trap  doer  to  the  rocf. 
Dick  again  came  down  into  the  hall,  put  away  the 
step-ladder,  and,  with  the  help  of  the  doctor,  again 
reached  the  roof  by  the  use  cf  the  rope.  As  the 
trap  door  was  once  more  put  in  place,  Dick  gave  a 
sigh  cf  relief.  This  was  somewhat  to  the  doctor's 
surprise,  as  he  could  not  realize  that  there  was  any 
thing  to  feel  relieved  about  as  long  as  they  were  on 
the  top  of  a  strange  roof,  in  a  strange  part  of  the 
country,  with  an  unconscious  young  lady  to  be  taken 
care  of. 

It  was  but  the  work  of  a  few  moments  fcr  the 
young  men  to  reach  the  ground  with  their  burden, 
but  the  doctor,  who  had  demanded  his  right  to  carry 
Miss  Morgan,  was  completely  out  of  breath.  This 
gave  Dick  a  little  time  to  do  something  to  help 
mystify  Doctor  Jordan,  and  he  placed  the  ladders 
back  in  the  ladder-house  and  pushed  the  staple  back 
into  place,  leaving  it  to  all  appearances  as  though  it 
had  not  been  touched. 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  253 

To  the  surprise  of  both  of  the  young  men,  Harley 
Bean  was  nowhere  within  sight  or  hearing.  They 
picked  up  their  precious  burden  and  walked 
over  to  where  they  had  left  Frank.  Here  they 
found  him  petting  his  horses  and  trying  hard  to 
keep  awake. 

The  cool  bracing  air  had  revived  Miss  Morgan, 
and  as  they  put  her  down  on  the  ground  by  the  car 
riage,  she  stretched  out  her  hands  and  said:  "Help 
me." 

The  doctor  assisted  her  to  arise.  She  looked 
around,  but  said  nothing. 

"You  do  not  seem  surprised,  Laura,"  said  the 
doctor,  inquiringly. 

"No,  Douglas,"  said  she,  with  an  effort,  "I  am 
net  surprised,  because  I  have  known  all  that  was 
going  on,  but  I  could  neither  speak  nor  move.  I 
saw  you,  and  knowing  I  was  with  friends,  I  was 
content  to  wait  until  my  lost  powers  came  back." 

The  day  was  breaking  as  Frank  drove  up  in  front 
of  his  own  door  in  Cambridge.  By  this  time  Miss 
Morgan  had  rallied  enough  to  walk  upstairs.  Frank 
drove  to  the  stable  with  the  carriage,  but  Dick  and 
the  doctor  stayed  at  the  house.  Laura  was  put  to 
bed  in  the  little  spare  bed-room  by  Mrs.  Bardwell, 
and  Dick  and  the  doctor  sat  in  the  dining-room, 
with  their  guns  on  the  table,  as  though  they  thought 
an  army  was  about  to  pounce  upon  them  arid  take 
away  their  prize. 

"Doctor, "  said  Dick,  "you  are  certainly  a  brick. 
You  did  not  make  a  bad  move  throughout  the  whole 
affair,  and  as  for  nerve,  you  have  more  than  any 
man  I  ever  saw.  I  haven't  any  sister,  but  if  I  had 


254  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

I  would  want  her  to  marry  such  a  man  as  you  have 
proved  yourself  to  be. ' ' 

"My  dear  Dick,  I  was  just  thinking  of  your  own 
nerve  and  of  your  wonderful  coolness.  I  have  two 
sisters,  and  if  you  will  go  with  me  to  Georgia  you 
shall  have  your  pick,  and  if  the  one  you  choose 
should  refuse  you  she  shall  be  my  sister  no 
longer." 

"I  will  take  that  as  you  mean  it,  Doctor,  but  I  am 
not  looking  for  a  wife;  my  case  has  been  settled  for 
me.  Mine  is  a  waiting  game  as  regards  matters  of 
the  heart,  but  my  business  prospects  are  good  and 
I  am  putting  all  of  my  energies  forth  in  that  direc 
tion  now.  I  wonder  where  Harley  is?"  And  the 
doctor,  realizing  that  Dick  wanted  to  change  the 
subject,  echoed,  "I  wonder  where  he  is?" 

When  Harley  Bean  saw  Dick  and  the  doctor  dis 
appear  as  they  stepped  off  of  the  ladder,  he  care 
fully  picked  his  way  out  towards  the  dog-house  in 
order  to  see  what  would  be  their  next  move.  He 
saw  them  take  off  the  trap  door  and  disappear; 
then  he  walked  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  ladder 
and  waited.  It  was  then  that  he  began  to  find  that 
he  and  Frank  had  been  assigned  to  the  two  worst 
positions.  When  nearly  an  hour  had  passed  and 
nothing  was  heard  from  the  young  men,  Harley  was 
more  anxious  than  he  had  ever  been  before  in  his 
life.  A  carriage  was  coming.  What  could  this 
mean?  Had  Dick  signaled  to  Frank?  No,  that 
could  not  be.  The  carriage  drew  up  to  the  side 
door  and  Harley  crept  up  as  close  to  the  entrance 
as  he  could  without  being  seen.  A  large  man 
stepped  out  of  the  carriage.  The  door  of  the  house 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  255 

was  opened  and  the  doctor  came  out  to  meet  his 
visitor. 

"You  are  late,  Mr.  Blake,"  said  the  doctor. 
"You  could  have  taken  the  girl  two  hours  ago." 

The  two  men  passed  into  the  house. 

"Blake,  Blake,"  said  Harley  to  himself.  "It  is 
plain  enough  that  it  is  the  fellow  the  doctor  was 
telling  us  about.  There  is  going  to  be  a  fight  in 
that  house  in  about  a  minute,  and  if  Mr.  Blake 
doesn't  get  a  dose  of  lead,  I  don't  want  a  cent.  I 
wonder  if  I  had  better  go  in  and  mix,  or  shall  I  btay 
out  here  and  die  of  inactivity?" 

Harley  decided  to  stay,  and  in  a  few  moments  he 
was  rewarded  by  a  sight  he  did  not  like  to  see.  The 
door  was  once  more  thrown  open  and  Mr.  Blake 
and  the  doctor  came  out,  carrying  a  woman.  She 
was  placed  in  the  hack;  Blake  also  entered  the 
hack,  and  the  driver  was  ordered  to,  go  on.  Har- 
ley's  mind  was  already  made  up.  His  companions 
had  for  some  reason  unknown  to  him  failed  to  do 
the  job,  and  it  remained  for  him  to  thwart  the  vil 
lain  and  rescue  the  girl. 

"It  will  read  like  a  dime  novel,"  said  Harley,  as 
he  swung  himself  on  to  the  back  of  the  carriage  and 
was  swiftly  borne  away  towards  the  city.  It  was 
an  uncomfortable  ride  for  Harley,  and  he  was  wor 
ried  about  Dick  and  the  doctor,  but  he  argued  that 
the  prize  they  were  all  after  was  in  the  carriage  and 
he  must  stick  by  it. 

After  what  Harley  called  the  longest,  dirtiest  and 
coldest  ride  he  ever  experienced,  the  carriage 
stopped  in  front  of  a  certain  number  in  Prospect 
street — a  house  well  known  to  Harley  as  one  that 


256  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

bore  an  unenviable  reputation.  Blake  stepped  out, 
handed  the  drher  a  bill,  and  then  reaching  into  the 
carriage  took  out  the  limp  fcrrn  of  a  woman. 

Harley  left  his  seat  on  the  back  of  the  carriage, 
and  the  driver  whipped  up  his  horses  and  disap 
peared.  As  Blake  was  about  to  carry  the  woman 
towards  the  house,  Harley  appeared,  and  in  his 
most  commanding  voice  said: 

"I  arrest  you!  come  with  me." 

He  had  seized  Blake's  left  arm,  and  releasing  his 
right  from  around  the  woman's  waist,  Blake  struck 
out  savagely  at  Harley.  The  woman  dropped  to  the 
ground,  but  in  an  instant  was  up  and  off  like  a  deer. 
She  was  half  way  down  the  block  before  either  of 
the  men  realized  it,  and  as  soon  as  they  did  the  fight 
was  turned  into  a  foot  race.  Blake  was  a  poor 
sprinter;  a  fight  would  have  suited  him  better,  fi>r 
he  was  a  powerful  man  and  a  good  boxer.  Harley 
was  built  fcr  sprinting,  but  was  cut  of  practice. 
The  girl  seemed  the  best  of  the  bunch,  but  what 
puzzled  Harley  was  that  he  was  sure  he  could  hear 
her  laugh  as  though  she  were  enjoying  it. 

As  the  girl  reached  Green  street  the  two  men 
were  a  block  behind.  The}7  were  gaining,  however, 
with  Harley  in  the  lead.  A  race  in  this  part  of 
Boston  could  not  be  a  long  one,  and  it  was  soon  dis 
covered  that  the  lady  had  run  into  the  arms  of  a 
policeman.  Harley  and  Blake  came  up  panting  just 
as  the  young  lady  had  recovered  enough  of  her 
breath  to  talk,  and  they  heard  her  say: 

"You  see,  it  is  this  way,  Buttons,  these  two  men 
are  my  sweethearts,  and  it  was  to  be  decided  by  a 
race  which  should  have  me.  Harley  won,  so  you 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  257 

can  tell  that  fat  Johnnie  boy  to  go  about  his  busi 
ness.  " 

The  policeman  looked  at  the  two  men  in  wonder, 
but  the  most  wonder  was  shown  on  the  faces  of 
Harley  and  Blake,  both  of  them  having  just  discov 
ered  that  the  girl  they  had  been  chasing  was  not 
Laura  Morgan. 

"What  I  ought  to  do,"  said  the  policeman,  "is  to 
run  you  all  in." 

"That  is  exactly  what  you  ought  to  do,"  said 
Harley,  "and  if  this  big  duffer  will  not  go  willingly, 
I  will  help  you." 

"Never  mind  helping  me;  I  have  all  the  help  I 
want."  And  sure  enough  he  had,  for  there  were 
two  other  "cops"  within  a  few  feet  of  them.  Blake 
looked  about  him,  no  doubt  with  the  idea  of  mak 
ing  his  escape,  but  he  was  too  late.  With  a  police 
man  on  each  side,  he  was  marched  to  the  police 
station,  while  the  other  policeman  walked  between 
Harley  and  Lizzy  Burley.  Arriving  at  the  station, 
the  prisoners  were  brought  before  the  desk  ser 
geant. 

"Well,  Harley,"  said  the  sergeant,  "what  do  you 
want  here?" 

"I  want  you  to  put  this  big  chap  downstairs  until 
I  get  a  chance  to  go  home  with  my  girl.  He  has 
been  trying  to  make  trouble  between  us." 

"What  did  you  bring  these  people  in  for,  officer?" 

"They  were  racing  on  the  street,  and  I  thought 
they  were  drunk;  besides,  one  of  them  wanted  to 
be  brought  here — this  one,"  pointing  to  Harley. 

"If  you  had  not  been  new  in  the  business,"  said 
the  sergeant,  addressing  the  officers,  "you  would 


258  RICHARD    VAUGHN 

have  known  enough  to  have  let  Harley  tell  you  how 
to  dispose  of  this  case.  How  much  the  start  do  you 
want,  Harley?" 

"Just  keep  him  a  couple  of  hours  and  I  will  decide 
by  that  time  whether  I  want  to  prosecute  him  or 
not." 

"This  is  infamous,"  said  Blake.  "I  won't  stand 
it." 

"All  right,"  said  Harley,  "I  will  swear  out  a  war 
rant  now,  and  I  will  put  in  some  things  that  it 
may  be  hard  for  you  to  answer;  either  this  or  you 
will  stay  here  under  guard  until  one  o'clock  to-day. 
Which  shall  it  be?" 

"I  will  stay,"  said  Blake. 

"Hold  on  there,"  said  the  sergeant,  as  he  fol 
lowed  Harley  to  the  door.  "This  is  a  bit  irregular. 
Are  you  sure  of  your  man?"  And  receiving  an 
affirmative  answer,  he  continued:  "All  right;  he 
shall  stay  here  until  one  o'clock." 


CHAPTER   XXII 

When  Harley  Bean  and  Lizzy  left  the  police  sta 
tion,  Harley  hailed  a  carriage  and  sent  the  young 
lady  home.  Then  he  made  all  possible  haste  to  the 
stable  that  had  furnished  the  hack  for  the  men,  and, 
as  luck  would  have  it,  arrived  just  as  Frank  was 
driving  in.  Lizzy  had  told  Harley  what  she  knew 
of  the  affair,  and  Frank  could  tell  him  no  more,  as 
the  doctor  and  Dick  had  had  no  time  to  tell  him  any 
thing.  All  he  could  say  was  that  at  the  present 
time  Miss  Morgan  was  at  his  house. 

Harley  and  Frank  soon  joined  Dick  and  the  doc 
tor  at  Frank's  house,  and  a  general  explanation  was 
gone  through  with.  At  first  it  appeared  to  Harley 
as  though  he  had  made  a  bad  break  in  riding  off  on 
the  hack,  but  after  going  over  the  whole  matter,  he 
said: 

"My  old  maxim  is  all  right,  as  usual — 'Whatever 
is  is  right. '  I  told  the  sergeant  to  keep  that  old 
duffer  in  hock  until  one  o'clock,  my  only  thought 
being  that  I  would  give  you  boys  all  the  time  neces 
sary  to  get  away  from  the  mad-house,  and  now  I 
find  that  by  one  o'clock  the  doctor  will  be  married 
and  the  girl  will  be  forever  out  of  the  reach  of  the 
big  brute;  so  you  see  again,  'Whatever  is  is  right. '  ' 

At  twelve  o'clock  on  the  day  of  the  rescue  the 
four  young  men  were  again  present  at  Frank's 
home,  and  witnessed  a  marriage  ceremony,  the 
doctor  and  Miss  Morgan  being  the  principals.  The 

=59 


26o  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

ceremony  was  performed  in  the  little  spare  bed 
room,  for  the  doctor  would  not  allow  Miss  Morgan 
to  leave  her  bed.  As  soon  as  the  ceremony  had 
been  performed  the  young  men  returned  to  their 
duties,  leaving  the  newly-married  couple  in  Mrs. 
Bardwell's  care. 

"This  is  not  like  the  marriage  that  we  have 
always  planned,  Laura,  but  with  me  what  it  lacks  in 
pomp  and  ceremony  is  made  up  in  earnestness  and 
satisfaction." 

"Yes,  Douglas,  the  satisfaction  of  having  done 
the  best  we  could.  You  are  surprised  that  I  have 
come  through  all  of  these  trials  and  kept  my  reason, 
but  my  faith  in  you  has  been  the  rock  on  which  I 
have  built  my  hopes.  I  said,  my  faith  in  you;  I 
should  have  said  my  faith  in  God,  but  I  have  always 
thought  of  you  as  being  an  instrument  in  His  hands 
to  bring  me  out  of  the  hands  of  my  enemies.  I 
never  knew  how  it  would  come  about,  but  I  prayed 
that  it  might  be  so  and  I  had  faith  that  my  prayers 
would  be  answered.  I  also  believed  in  the  power 
of  mind  over  matter,  and  every  moment  of  my 
waking  hours  I  have  used  my  mind  to  influence  you. 
Did  you  not  realize  it,  Douglas?" 

"I  never  thought  of  it  in  that  way,  Laura, 
although  I  can  see  it  now,  and  in  this  line  I  have  a 
confession  to  make.  There  was  a  time  when  I  was 
sure  you  had  been  influenced  to  give  me  up,  and  I 
tried  to  forget  you,  but  it  was  only  for  a  few 
hours." 

"I  knew  it,  Douglas;  it  was  soon  after  I  left  the 
South.  As  soon  as  I  realized  it  I  redoubled  my 
efforts  to  bring  your  mind  to  bear  on  me  and  to 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  261 

make  you  think  that  I  belonged  to  you.  Tell  me 
the  whole  story.  I  am  growing  stronger  every 
moment,  and  I  want  to  know  if  I  am  not  right  when 
I  say  that  you  have  been  near  me  for  some  time. 
Only  for  a  moment  did  I  doubt  the  girl  who  was  sent 
to  Doctor  Jordan's,  for  I  was  looking  for  a  sign,  and 
from  the  time  I  first  realized  that  she  was  sent  from 
you,  I  knew  that  all  of  my  prayers  had  been 
answered." 

The  doctor  told  the  whole  story  of  his  doings 
from  the  time  he  had  been  ordered  away  from  her 
father's  house  to  the  present  day.  When  he  had 
finished,  he  said:  "Now  I  know  you  are  tired,  and 
I  am  going  to  let  you  rest  for  a  while. " 

"One  moment,  Douglas.  My  life  and  the  happi 
ness  of  us  both  have  been  saved  by  the  efforts  of 
these  newly-found  friends.  They  are  people  in  the 
middle  walks  of  life ;  can  we  not  do  something  for 
them?" 

"I  have  been  thinking  of  that  same  thing,  Laura, 
and  I  thought  I  would  talk  to  you  about  it  after  you 
had  regained  your  strength.  I  am  at  a  loss  to  know 
just  what  can  be  done  here.  In  the  South  it  would 
be  different.  If  a  gentleman  did  me  a  favor,  my 
friendship  would  repay  him ;  if  one  in  the  lower 
walks  of  life  did  me  a  favor  I  could  pay  him  and  be 
done  with  it.  We  may  have  people  in  the  South 
who  are  on  a  par  with  these  friends  of  mine  here, 
but  if  we  have  I  have  failed  to  find  them.  They  are 
comparatively  poor,  and  yet  I  would  not  dare  to 
offer  them  money.  They  are  gentlemen,  although 
I  have  seen  two  of  them  in  overalls  and  jumpers. 
Woman's  intuition,  I  have  been  told,  is  worth  a 


262  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

good  deal  in  a  case  like  this,  and  for  that  reason  I 
am  waiting  until  you  are  strong  enough  to  think  it 
over. ' ' 

A  few  days  after  this  conversation  between  the 
doctor  and  his  wife,  Harley  Bean  called.  Mrs. 
Lovelace  was  dressed  and  in  the  sitting-room.  She 
claimed  that  she  was  perfectly  well  and  could  go 
anywhere,  but  the  doctor  said  "No,"  and  Frank 
and  his  wife  were  more  than  anxious  that  they 
should  make  their  home  with  them  as  long  as  they 
could  be  contented. 

"A  fellow  gave  me  a  bunch  of  roses,"  said  Har 
ley,  "and  I  thought  I  would  bring  them  over  to 
you."  And  as  he  spoke  he  unwrapped  a  dozen 
American  Beauties  and  handed  them  to  Mrs.  Love 
lace. 

The  doctor  looked  at  him  and  thought,  "What  a 
magnificent  liar  he  is!" 

Mrs.  Lovelace  took  the  flowers  and  thanked  him, 
but  her  face  spoke  more  eloquently  than  her  words, 
for  the  little  remembrance  touched  her  heart.  She 
saw  through  his  little  excuse  as  quickly  as  did  the 
doctor,  and  she  smiled  as  she  thought  how  poor  a 
dissembler  he  was. 

"Dick  told  me  to  tell  you,  Doctor,  that  he  missed 
you  very  much,  and  I  am  of  the  opinion  that 
between  your  wife  and  Mrs.  Bardvvell  an  awfully 
good  nest  of  fellows  has  nearly  been  broken  up.  I 
don't  think  I  will  get  acquainted  with  any  more 
strangers.  Just  when  you  begin  to  think  you  have 
some  good  fellows  to  loaf  with,  some  sweet-faced 
females  come  along,  and  those  who  are  left  are 
lonely." 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  263 

"But  you  still  have  Mr.  Vaughn  with  you,"  said 
Mrs.  Lovelace,  "and  I  am  sure  from  what  I  have 
heard  of  him  that  he  is  a  splendid  character." 

"Yes,  Dick  is  still  with  me,  but  it  isn't  his  fault. 
He  was  ready  to  be  stolen  from  me,  but  his  intended 
mother-in-law  put  her  foot  down  and  the  girl  didn't 
dare  jump  over  it.  I  hope  the  time  will  come  when 
Dick  will  prove  to  them  that  they  have  made  fools 
of  themselves,  and  I  believe  it  will,  for  Dick  has 
good  stuff  in  him,  and  old  man  Anderson  thinks  the 
world  of  him." 

"I  have  just  been  thinking,  Mr.  Bean,  that  per 
haps  you  might  help  us  out  of  a  difficulty.  The 
doctor  and  I  feel  that  we  would  like  to  do  something 
for  Mr.  Vaughn,  but  we  don't  know  how  to  get  at 
it.  Now,  you  are  his  friend  and  you  have  proved 
yourself  a  friend  of  ours,  and  if  you  can  help  us 
out  of  this  difficulty  we  will  appreciate  it  very 
rmich." 

The  doctor  gave  his  wife  a  glance  of  approval,  and 
Harley  twisted  around  in  his  chair,  threw  one  leg 
over  the  other,  and  then  said : 

"Any  one  who  helps  Dick  has  to  help  himself  at 
the  same  time.  Dick  would  never  take  a  dollar 
from  any  man  that  he  did  not  earn.  He  is  as  sharp 
as  a  tack  and  as  honest  as  the  day  is  long,  and  if  he 
thought  you  were  doing  anything  to  pay  him  for 
what  he  did  in  helping  Mrs.  Lovelace  out  of  that 
mad-house,  he  would  never  forgive  you." 

"Do  you  mean  by  that  that  you  cannot  help  us?" 

'Not  at  all;  if  you  want  to  do  something  for  Dick 

I  can  show  you  how  you  can  help  him  and  help 

yourself  at  the  same  time.     Of   course  you  know 


264  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

what  kind  of  a  business  Jim  Anderson  has,  and  also 
what  kind  of  a  man  he  is,  Doctor?" 

"Yes,  I  know  the  gentleman.  He  is  a  shrewd 
business  man,  and  I  am  sure  he  is  honest,  even  if 
he  does  swear  like  a  trooper  when  he  gets  mad." 

"Well,  he  does  sort  of  talk  in  blank  verse  some 
times,  to  be  sure,  but  no  better  man  lives  than  Jim 
Anderson,  and  he  thinks  the  world  of  Dick,  which 
perhaps  makes  me  think  more  of  him.  Now,  I 
happen  to  know  that  Dick  has  a  pet  scheme  that  he 
would  put  into  practice  in  a  minute  if  he  had  the 
money,  and  the  scheme  is  this:  Jim  Anderson 
makes  a  general  line  of  parlor  and  chamber  furni 
ture,  and  at  all  times  he  has  a  warehouse  full  of  the 
stuff  in  Wareham  street.  Now,  what  Dick  wants  to 
do  is  this:  he  wants  to  hire  a  store  downtown,  fit 
it  up  in  nice  shape,  fill  it  with  furniture  from  Jim's 
warehouse  and  cater  for  the  retail  trade,  and  at  the 
same  time  take  care  of  Jim's  wholesale  business 
from  the  downtown  store.  Dick  has  not  said  a 
word  to  Jim  about  this;  neither  does  he  intend  to 
until  he  can  see  his  way  clear  to  show  Jim  how  it 
can  be  done  without  cramping  the  manufacturing 
business.  There  would  be  the  rent  of  the  store, 
clerk  hire,  and  possibly  he  would  want  to  put  in  a 
few  things  that  Jim  does  not  make." 

"But  you  haven't  told  me  how  I  can  help  him," 
said  the  doctor. 

"Haven't  I?  Then  I  will  make  it  plainer.  Sup 
pose  there  should  be  a  stock  company  gotten  up, 
with  a  paid-up  capital  of  forty  thousand  dollars. 
Jim  Anderson  would  take  thirty  thousand  dollars' 
worth  of  the  stock  and  pay  for  it  in  furniture.  Dick 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  265 

would  take  two  thousand  dollars'  worth  and  pay 
cash.  I  would  take  three  thousand,  and  there 
would  be  five  thousand  dollars'  worth  to  be  disposed 
of,  and  with  Dick  for  a  manager  I  am  satisfied  that 
my  three  thousand  would  be  a  good  investment." 

"Harley,  I  never  gave  you  credit  for  so  much 
good  sound  sense.  I  must  apologize  to  you. 
Shake." 

Laura  looked  at  the  doctor  in  surprise. 

"Don't  mind  my  familiarity,  Laura.  I  have  lived 
with  the  boys  so  long  that  I  have  become  one  of 
them,  and  that  is  nothing  to  the  way  they  haul  each 
other  over  the  coals.  You  fix  the  deal  up,  Harley, 
and  I  will  do  my  share.  I  would  give  five  thousand 
in  a  minute  for  what  you  boys  have  done  for  me, 
and  in  this  way  I  will  be  helping  myself  and  both  of 
you  at  the  same  time." 

Harley  bowed  himself  out,  and'  as  he  walked 
down  the  street  he  said  to  himself:  "I  guess  I 
fumbled  the  ball  with  those  roses,  but  I  made  a 
home  run  when  I  got  a  chance  at  the  bat." 

A  few  days  after  this  Harley,  finding  that  Dick 
was  to  be  away  from  the  office,  called  at  the  factory 
to  see  Jim  Andersen.  He  asked  for  Dick,  and  on 
being  told  that  he  was  away  on  business,  get  into 
conversation  with  Jim  on  different  subjects,  gradu 
ally  bringing  him  around  to  talk  of  the  business. 
After  awhile  he  said: 

"Jim,  why  don't  you  take  a  hand  in  the  retail 
business  in  this  town?" 

"I  have  been  thinking  about  it,"  said  Jim,  "and 
if  I  had  a  little  more  ready  money  I  would  do  it." 

"I  know  where  there  is  ten  thousand  dollars  in 


266  RICHARD    VAUGHN 

cash  that  can  be  had  for  such  an  enterprise,  if  you 
will  furnish  thirty  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  furni 
ture  for  your  share  of  the  stock.  Then  you  would 
have  the  most  of  the  stock  and  would  have  control 
of  the  business." 

Jim  Anderson  was  as  quick  at  a  trade  as  any 
other  Yankee ;  at  the  same  time  he  had  plenty  of 
the  Yankee  caution. 

"Spit  out  your  plan,"  he  said,  which  Harle}r  pro 
ceeded  to  do  at  once,  only  he  did  not  tell  from  whom 
the  five  thousand  dollars  was  to  come.  He  only 
said  it  was  an  acquaintance  of  his  who  was  willing 
to  put  it  in  for  investment  and  would  not  care  to 
have  anything  to  do  with  the  business. 

As  soon  as  Jim  found  that  the  plan  was  to  make 
Dick  Vaughn  the  manager,  and  that  Dick  and  Har- 
ley  would  both  put  money  in  the  scheme,  he  said : 
"The  thing  is  as  good  as  done;  I  will  speak  to  Dick 
about  it  as  soon  as  he  comes  in." 

That  evening  Dick's  first  salutation  to  Harley 
was:  "So  you  stole  a  march  on  me,  did  you?  The 
old  man  laid  my  own  plan  before  me  to-day  and  said 
that  there  was  nothing  left  for  me  to  do  but  accept 
it.  I  did  not  dare  tell  him  that  it  was  my  scheme, 
and  that  you  had  stolen  a  march  on  me,  as  it  would 
have  looked  so  much  like  a  cut  and  dried  affair,  and 
at  the  same  time  I  felt  a  little  ashamed  when  he 
was  explaining  to  me  exactly  what  I  have  talked 
about  to  you  so  many  times.  This  is  what  might  be 
called  a  case  of  luck,  and  I  am  not  going  to  turn  it 
down.  But  who  is  your  friend,  Harley,  who  is  to 
take  the  five  thousand?" 

"I  did  not  say 'friend' ;  I  said  'acquaintance.'     I 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  267 

should  think  by  this  time  and  with  the  experience 
you  have  had,  that  you  would  drop  the  word 
'friend.'  I  have  often  told  you  that  it  is  the  most 
abused  word  in  the  English  language.  The  bar 
tender  calls  any  man  a  friend  who  drinks  at  his  bar; 
the  courtezan  calls  any  man  a  friend  who  can  be 
attracted  by  her  wiles,  and  the  business  of  both  of 
these  is  to  rob  the  so-called  friends  of  both  money 
and  manhood.  I  have  enemies  by  the  score;  in 
fact  it  seems  as  though  I  had  enough  to  make  a 
man  of  me,  but  perhaps  they  do  not  spur  me  on  as 
they  should." 

"You  are  an  original  sort  of  a  chap,  Harley,  but  I 
did  not  know  that  you  had  so  many  enemies." 

"Well,  I  have  them,  and  I  am  proud  of  them. 
The  man  who  makes  enemies  is  pretty  sure  to  be 
one  who  has  opinions  of  his  own  and  who  has  the 
courage  of  his  convictions.  Show  me  a  man  who 
has  no  enemies  and  I  will  show  you  a  namby-pamby 
sort  of  a  fellow  who  pretends  to  side  in  with  the 
opinions  of  any  man  he  happens  to  be  with.  People 
get  to  look  upon  him  as  a  good  sort  of  a  fellow,  but 
one  of  no  force  of  character." 

"You  may  be  right,  Harley;  in  fact,  I  am  inclined 
to  let  you  have  your  own  way,  as  long  as  this  streak 
of  luck  has  struck  me." 

"There  you  go  again;  you  talk  about  luck,  when 
what  has  come  to  you  is  the  result  of  your  own  hard 
work  and  your  own  ability  to  surmount  all  obstacles 
as  you  were  confronted  by  them.  If  you  will  look 
about  you,  you  will  find  a  host  of  people  who  go 
through  life  mourning  because  they  cannot  get  hold 
of  enough  money  to  develop  a  latent  talent  they 


268  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

think  they  possess,  while  others  with  no  more  money 
accept  the  situation  as  they  find  it,  and,  surmount 
ing  all  obstacles,  acquire  both  fame  and  wealth. 
Oh,  I  am  a  great  preacher.  I  love  to  tell  other 
people  what  they  should  do,  and  my  theory  is  right, 
but  I  don't  always  follow  my  own  theories,  simply 
because  I  lack  application  for  one  tiling,  and,  for 
another,  there  is  nothing  that  suits  me  so  well  as  to 
float  with  the  tide.  I  was  offered  an  interest  in  an 
established  business  once,  and  when  I  refused,  the 
man  got  mad;  he  thought  I  was  crazy,  but  I  wasn't. 
He  said  it  would  make  me  rich,  and  I  told  him  that 
I  did  not  care  to  be  burdened  with  wealth.  He 
said  I  was  a  fool  and  I  agreed  to  it,  and  told  him 
that  the  only  difference  between  us  was  in  the  kind; 
he  could  only  see  the  dollar  that  was  getting  out  of 
his  reach,  and  I  was  always  dwelling  on  the  fact 
that  I  had  gotten  more  than  a  hundred  cents'  worth 
of  fun  out  of  the  last  dollar  I  had  let  slip  through 
my  fingers.  Poor  old  man !  They  took  him  over 
here  to  the  McLean  Asylum  three  years  ago,  and 
now  he  is  chasing  dollars  around  a  padded  cell.  I 
will  leave  it  to  you,  Dick,  as  to  which  was  the 
greater  fool  of  the  two." 


CHAPTER    XXIII 

At  exactly  one  o'clock  of  the  day  that  Doctor 
Lovelace  and  Laura  Morgan  were  married  Steve 
Blake  was  let  out  of  his  cell  at  the  police  station. 
For  reasons  best  known  to  himself  he  did  not  make 
any  particular  amount  of  talk  about  his  being  locked 
up,  but  he  swore  an  oath  to  himself  that  the  time 
would  soon  come  when  he  would  get  even  with  who 
ever  had  played  the  trick  on  him  of  changing  the  girls. 
For  some  reasons  he  was  more  than  half  inclined  to 
believe  that  the  doctor  knew  something  of  it,  and  as 
he  thought  the  matter  over  his  thoughts  boded  no 
good  for  the  doctor. 

Steve  made  his  way  at  once  to  a  house  on  Harri 
son  avenue,  where  he  let  himself  in  with  a  latch-key 
and  went  at  once  to  a  room  on  the  second  floor. 
There  he  found  a  middle-aged  lady,  who  sprang  to 
her  feet  as  he  opened  the  door,  and  said:  "Oh, 
Steve,  I  have  been  so  worried  about  you.  Where 
is  the  girl?" 

The  young  man  pushed  her  back,  and  said, 
"Damn  the  girl !  She  has  made  me  trouble  enough. 
If  you  had  let  me  have  my  own  way  I  would  have 
had  this  thing  settled  long  ago." 

"I  know,  my  son,  but  the  good  book  says  it  is 
wicked  to  kill.  I  may  have  done  wrong,  but  I  have 
always  consulted  my  Bible."  And  she  fondled  the 
book  she  had  been  reading. 

"Oh,  stash  that,  mother,  you  know  I  don't  believe 
in  those  things.  You  married  old  Morgan  for  his 

269 


270  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

money,  and  when  you  found  the  girl  was  in  the 
way,  instead  of  letting  me  get  rid  of  her  quietly, 
you  wanted  me  to  marry  her.  You  got  her  into  a 
mad-house  because  she  was  not  mad  enough  to 
marry  me;  and  now  she  has  gotten  away  and  the  jig 
is  up." 

"Got  away!"  screamed  the  woman.  "For  heav 
en's  sake,  tell  me  about  it!"  And  Steve  walked  the 
floor  as  he  told  the  whole  story.  When  he  got  to 
the  part  of  his  stopping  at  Prospect  street  the 
woman  was  all  in  a  tremble. 

"And  so  you  were  not  intending  to  bring  her 
here  and  follow  the  plan  that  I  had  laid  out?" 

"No,  not  by  a  hanged  sight.  I  was  going  to  turn 
her  over  to  a  woman  who  would  have  made  her  kill 
herself  within  a  week." 

"Oh,  Steve!  how  could  you,  when  you  knew  that 
all  I  was  doing  was  for  you  and  you  alone?  If  you 
had  not  stayed  away  so  many  weeks  it  could  have 
been  settled  long  ago." 

"Never  mind  that;  I  could  not  help  it.  The 
question  now  is,  what  shall  we  do  with  the  case  as 
it  is?  How  much  money  have  you  on  hand?" 

"I  have  five  hundred  here  in  my  bosom,  but  you 
must  not  take  it  to  gamble  with ;  you  know  your 
failing.  You  must  go  at  once  and  see  the  doctor 
and  find  out  what  has  become  of  Laura.  Perhaps 
she  is  there  still,  and  if  that  is  the  case,  all  will  be 
well  yet. ' ' 

"No  danger;  that  old  fool  of  a  doctor  has  played 
us  false,  and  I  would  like  to  throttle  him." 

"Don't  talk  that  way,  Steve  dear;  go  at  once  and 
see  what  you  can  find  out." 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  271 

"Look  here,  mother;  I  have  been  in  trouble  near 
here,  and  it  is  only  a  case  of  luck  that  no  one  recog 
nized  me  at  the  police  station  this  morning.  I  must 
have  that  money;  in  case  it  should  happen  that  the 
doctor  has  peached  on  us,  you  can  get  more,  and  as 
they  do  not  know  where  you  are,  you  will  be  safe. 
If  the  girl  has  really  gotten  away,  this  thing  may 
be  serious." 

Mrs.  Morgan  took  from  her  dress  a  roll  of  bills, 
and,  saying  she  would  divide  with  him,  commenced 
to  count  them.  Steve  was  walking  the  floor  like  a 
caged  tiger.  When  he  saw  the  money  it  seemed  to 
turn  his  head.  He  grabbed  the  roll  and  started  for 
the  door.  Mrs.  Morgan  caught  hold  of  him  and 
said  imploringly:  "No,  no,  Steve!  don't  do  that; 
you  have  been  drinking;  you  will  be  sorry." 

He  pushed  her  from  him  and  she  fell,  striking 
her  head  on  the  corner  of  a  chair,  and  lay  there 
without  making  a  movement.  Steve  stopped  a 
moment  to  see  if  she  would  get  up,  and  as  he  did  so 
he  caught  sight  of  her  face.  It  was  livid.  He 
started  to  pick  her  up.  Her  neck  was  broken ;  she 
had  died  without  uttering  a  sound. 

Steve  Blake  was  a  hardened  criminal.  He  had 
looked  upon  a  corpse  of  his  own  making  before  when 
the  sensation  had  been  one  of  pleasure  rather  than 
remorse,  for  he  had  long  realized  that  his  hand  was 
against  every  man  and  every  man's  hand  was 
against  him;  but  as  he  looked  into  the  face  of  his 
dead  mother,  killed  by  his  own  hand,  he  realized 
that  now  there  was  no  one  in  the  whole  world  to 
whom  he  could  go  without  a  dollar  and  know  that 
he  was  welcome. 


272  RICHARD  VAUGHN 

As  he  straightened  himself  np  he  realized  that  he 
was  trembling.  Then  the  calculating  villain  that 
was  in  him  came  to  his  rescue,  and  he  commenced  a 
systematic  search  of  both  of  the  rooms  and  his 
mother's  person  to  see  if  she  had  told  him  the  truth 
about  the  money  she  had  on  hand.  She  had  told 
him  the  truth,  and  his  mental  comment  was,  "The 
old  lady  knew  better  than  to  try  to  fool  me."  He 
left  the  key  on  the  inside  of  the  door  of  the  room, 
and  then  locked  it  from  the  outside  with  a  small  pair 
of  pliers  that  he  took  from  the  lining  of  his  vest. 
Then  he  left  the  house,  thinking  that  he  had  cov 
ered  up  his  tracks  completely. 

It  was  now  about  three  o'clock.  Steve  had  sup 
plied  himself  with  several  drinks  since  one  o'clock, 
but  he  now  began  to  feel  the  need  of  something  to 
eat.  He  walked  down  the  avenue  until  he  came  to 
a  restaurant  near  the  corner  of  Albany  street,  where 
he  went  in  and  ordered  a  substantial  dinner.  While 
he  was  eating,  a  smooth-faced  under-sized  man  of 
about  twenty-five  years  of  age  sat  down  opposite 
him  at  the  table  and  said:  "Hello,  Steve;  you  and 
I  must  be  shifting  our  meal  hours." 

Steve  looked  up  and,  recognizing  the  new-comer, 
said:  "The  tables  aren't  so  crowded,  are  they?" 

"No,  but  I  like  your  company.  You  see,  it's  this 
way,  Steve.  I  am  a  little  short  this  afternoon  and 
I  thought  you  might  loan  me  an  X  until  I  strike 
better  sledding.  You  are  no  doubt  flush  about  this 
time." 

"And  why  about  this  time?"  asked  Steve,  his 
voice  softening. 

"Oh,   nothing,  only   I   room    down    where   your 


RICHARD  VAUGHN  273 

mother  does,  and  I  notice  the  old  lady  always 
breaks  a  bill  when  she  sends  out  for  anything." 

Steve  knew  there  was  no  use  in  asking  Billy  ques 
tions,  for  he  would  only  tell  just  what  he  wanted 
to;  he  also  had  need  of  friends  now  who  would  not 
know  too  much  if  questioned,  so  he  handed  Billy  a 
ten-dollar  bill,  and  said:  "All  right,  young  fellow, 
there  is  an  X.  Take  it,  and  may  you  always  find  a 
friend  with  the  stuff  and  never  go  back  on  him." 

Billy  Pell  had  served  his  time  as  a  street  urchin — 
not  that  he  needed  to,  for  his  father  was  a  well-to-do 
mechanic  and  would  have  given  him  all  of  the 
advantages  that  a  man  in  his  circumstances  could; 
the  street,  however,  was  Billy's  home.  When  he 
was  ten  years  old  he  would  rather  sleep  behind  an 
ash  barrel  than  in  a  feather  bed;  as  he  grew  older 
he  trained  with  the  newsboys,  and  after  he  was  of 
age  and  his  father  had  forbidden  him  to  enter  the 
house,  he  occasionally  worked  for  a  junk  gatherer. 
In  appearance  he  was  an  overgrown  street  urchin; 
small  of  stature,  with  the  complexion  of  a  gipsy, 
hair  as  black  as  coal  and  small,  black,  shifty  eyes. 
Every  one  knew  him  in  the  section  of  the  city  in 
which  he  lived.  If  he  had  access  to  a  house  he  was 
pretty  sure  to  secure  the  privilege  of  visiting  any 
room  in  the  house  at  any  time  he  wanted  to.  He 
seemed  to  know  all  about  every  one's  else  business, 
but  no  one  was  ever  heard  of  who  could  tell  how 
Billy  Pell  managed  to  live. 

As  soon  as  Steve  had  finished  his  dinner  he  paid 
his  bill  and  hurriedly  left  the  place.  Billy  was  still 
eating,  and  his  face  showed  unusual  signs  of 
thought.  The  proprietor  noticed  it  and  said: 


274  RICHARD    VAUGHN 

"What  is  up,  Billy?     You  seem  distrait." 

"Do  I?"  answered  the  young  man.  "Well,  I 
ought  to.  I  just  lost  ten  dollars,  and  as  soon  as  I 
get  through  with  my  lunch  I  am  going  to  hire  some 
one  to  kick  me  around  the  block." 

"How  did  you  loose  it,  Billy?  Tell  me  about 
it." 

"Did  you  see  that  big  duffer  who  was  setting 
opposite  me?  Well,  that's  the  fellow.  I  struck  him 
for  ten  dollars,  and  he  shelled  out  so  quick  that  I 
jabbed  my  fork  into  my  leg  because  I  did  not  ask 
him  for  twenty." 

The  restaurant  keeper  laughed,  but  it  was  no 
laughing  matter  with  Billy;  he  was  in  dead  earnest. 

It  was  three  days  after  the  murder  before  the 
body  of  Mrs.  Morgan  was  discovered  and  when  that 
time  came  there  were  lively  times  in  that  part  of 
Harrison  avenue.  Harley  Bean  had  been  at  work 
all  day  and  was  off  duty  when  word  came  in  about 
the  murder  and  for  fear  that  he  would  be  asked  to 
work  overtime  he  slipped  out  of  the  office  and  went 
to  his  room. 

After  supper,  when  Dick  and  Harley  had  returned 
to  their  room — the  two  now  roomed  together — Dick 
said,  after  hearing  from  Harley  about  the  finding  of 
the  dead  body:  "I  am  surprised  that  you  do  not  go 
up  there  and  look  the  case  over.  There  would  not 
only  be  a  good  story  in  it,  but  as  you  are  something 
of  a  detective,  there  might  be  something  worth 
while  in  it  also." 

"  'Every  man  to  his  trade,'  Dick,  is  a  pretty  good 
motto,  and  it  means  more  than  there  is  shown  on 
the  surface.  There  is  not  a  class  of  people  living 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  275 

who  are  more  overrated  and  at  the  same  time  so 
underrated  as  the  detectives  and  the  police." 
"I  must  say  that  is  a  paradoxical  statement." 
"You  only  think  so.  There  has  been  a  murder 
committed.  It  is  now  three  days  eld,  and  it  may 
be  three  days  more  before  a  clew  is  found,  or  a  clew 
may  never  be  found.  To-morrow  perhaps  the 
papers  will  call  it  a  case  of  suicide,  and  it  may  be 
that  that  is  the  fact.  A  detective  calls  at  the  house 
and  inspects  things.  If  he  finds  a  knife  there  with 
the  name  of  the  owner  on  it,  he  has  a  clew.  The 
next  morning  the  papers  tell  of  the  clew,  and  the 
murderer  smiles  as  he  sips  his  coffee  and  reads  the 
papers,  for  he  remembers  that  he  used  a  stolen 
knife.  A  detective  is  only  a  successful  one  to  the 
extent  of  the  friendly  relations  he  bears  towards  the 
criminal  classes.  If  you  will  look  over  the  murders 
and  robberies  of  the  past  you  will  find  that  it  was 
not  so  often  the  Johnny-on-the-spot  detective  who 
got  there  as  it  was  the  fellow  who  waited  for  his  cue 
from  some  criminal  who  wanted  to  talk,  either  for 
the  notoriety  he  might  get,  for  money,  or  for 
revenge.  These  wonderful  detectives  who  drop  in 
on  a  murder  case,  smell  a  burnt  onion  and  at  once 
recognize  the  fact  that  it  was  a  short  man  from  Ber 
muda  who  committed  the  crime,  are  only  found  in 
tales  of  crime  where  the  writer  takes  an  imaginary 
case  and  explains  how  it  might  have  happened. 
You  see,  Dick,  the  best  of  a  man's  forethought 
comes  afterwards." 

There  was  a  rap  at  the  door,  and  without  waiting 
to  be  invited,  the  door  was  opened  and  in  walked 
Billy  Pell. 


276  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

"Hello,  Billy!"  said  Harley.  "What  in  the  name 
of  wonder  brought  you  here?" 

"Came  to  see  you;  heard  your  voice  and  came 
right  to  the  door." 

"What's  np?" 

"Murder.  Same  house  I  live  in,  but  I  ain't 
it." 

"No,  should  not  think  you  were  it,  if  you  mean 
the  one  who  was  murdered,  and  you  haven't  nerve 
enough  to  do  any  killing;  so  out  with  it." 

Billy  looked  at  Dick  and  then  back  at  Harley. 

"Oh,  don't  mind  him,"  said  Harley.  "He  is  a 
rank  outsider  and  forgets  anything  he  hears." 

"Well,  I  don't;  that's  how  I  make  a  stake.  You 
know  May?" 

"Yes,  and  I  know  that  if  a  certain  hardware  man 
knew  what  I  do,  you  would  get  your  head  broken." 

Billy  grinned. 

"I  guess  that's  so;  but  who  is  going  to  tell  him? 
The  gill  won't;  she  thinks  too  much  of  Billy." 

"Go  on;  what  about  May?" 

"Why,  nothing  much,  only  Nina  is  home  and  she 
and  May  are  pretty  thick.  Nina  has  picked  up  a 
new  steady,  and  he  has  lots  of  dough." 

"What  has  all  this  to  do  with  the  murder?" 

"Nothing,  only  Mrs.  Morgan,  the  one  who  was 
murdered,  had  money,  and  this  big  duffer  won't  go 
out  of  the  house  only  after  dark." 

Harley  was  smoking,  and  seemed  to  care  little 
about  the  story  Billy  was  telling,  and  what  ques 
tions  he  asked  were  more  to  keep  the  young  man 
talking  on  account  of  his  quaintness  than  for  any 
other  reason. 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  277 

"What  is  the  name  of  this  big  duffer  whom  Nina 
has  hitched  on  to?" 

"I  don  t  know  what  his  last  name  is  for  sure,  but 
he  is  known  as  Big  Steve,  and  has  been  been  doing 
a  little  time  lately.  Sometimes  they  call  him  Steve 
Rodman,  sometimes  Steve  Burke  or  Blake  but  I 
have  got  a  sneaking  notion  that  his  right  name  is 
Morgan." 

"Morgan!  Blake!  Big  Steve!  Say,  boy,  what  are 
you  talking  about?"  almost  shouted  Harley,  seem 
ing  to  wake  up  for  the  first  time,  and  catching  the 
young  man  by  the  arm. 

"I  thought  you  would  wake  up  after  a  while," 
said  Billy.  "Big  Steve  killed  his  mother.  An  old 
man  has  just  arrived  who  claims  the  woman  was  his 
wife,  and  he  is  going  to  put  up  five  thousand  dollars 
to  the  duffer  who  will  find  the  chap  that  did  the  job. 
Now  do  you  catch  on?" 

"Yes,  I  catch  on;  and  don't  you  say  a  word  about 
this  to  any  one,  and  we  will  see  what  can  be  done. 
But  tell  me,  how  much  do  you  know  about  it?" 

"I  was  in  the  next  room  and  saw  the  whole  thing 
through  the  transom.  I  could  not  hear  all  that  was 
said,  and  I  didn't  think  the  duffer  killed  her.  Old 
man  Johnson,  the  hardware  man,  was  out  of  town, 
and  I  have  been  up  to  Burley's  ever  since." 

"All  right,  Billy;  you  can  go  now,  but  keep  your 
mouth  shut  and  if  there  is  any  chance  to  pull  any 
thing  out  of  this,  we  will  soon  find  out." 

Billy  took  his  hat  and  sneaked  out  as  quietly  as 
he  had  come. 

"What  do  you  think  of  my  theory  on  detective 
work  now,  Dick?  If  I  had  rushed  up  there  I  would 


278  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

have  found  out  nothing ;  as  it  was  I  stayed  here  and 
the  whole  thing  came  to  me.  In  the  morning  we 
will  get  the  paper  and  read  the  theories  of  the 
different  members  of  the  police  force.  Detective 
Skinner  will  most  likely  have  a  clew,  and  the 
description  of  some  one  who  doesn't  know  any 
more  about  the  case  than  a  blind  pig,  will  be  tele 
graphed  to  the  principal  cities  of  the  country." 

"Don't  you  think  we  had  better  go  over  and  tell 
Doctor  Lovelace  about  it?"  asked  Dick. 

Before  Harley  had  a  chance  to  answer  the  door 
opened  and  in  walked  the  doctor,  accompanied  by 
an  old  gentleman,  whom  he  introduced  as  his 
father-in-law,  Colonel  Morgan. 

In  explanation  of  his  presence,  the  doctor  said  that 
Colonel  Morgan  had  come  to  town  two  days  before 
and  they  had  met  by  chance.  It  was  through  their 
efforts  to  find  the  colonel's  wife  that  the  murdered 
woman  had  been  found. 

"We  have  come  to  you  for  advice,  Harley.  The 
colonel  has  wakened  up  to  the  fact  that  he  has  been 
duped  by  an  adventuress,  but  ho  is  inclined  to  go  to 
the  bottom  of  this  murder  business  and  has  been 
advised  to  offer  a  reward  for  the  capture  of  the 
criminal.  I  told  him  what  we  owed  you  and  Dick, 
and  he  has  decided  to  follow  your  advice  in  this 
matter." 

"It  was  a  detective,  I  expect,  who  advised  you  to 
offer  a  reward?" 

"Yes,  Detective  Skinner,  and  the  colonel  told  him 
that  reward  or  no  reward  whoever  caught  and  con 
victed  the  murderer  would  not  go  unrewarded." 

"That's  enough,"  said  Harley;   "they  will  have 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  279 

some  one  arrested  before  morning,  but  it  will  not  be 
the  murderer. ' ' 

"Do  you  know  anything  about  this  case,  Mr. 
Bean?"  asked  the  colonel. 

"No;  not  particularly,  but  I  know  Skinner." 

"You  haven't  advised  us  yet,  Harley,  except 
about  the  reward." 

"Haven't  I?  Then  I  will.  Go  home  and  get  a 
good  night's  rest.  In  the  morning  get  up  and  read 
the  papers;  they  will  amuse  you." 

The  next  morning  every  paper  had  a  scare-head 
article  about  the  murder.  Detective  Skinner  was 
very  much  in  evidence.  He  not  only  had  a  clew, 
but  he  had  captured  the  murderer — a  well-known 
character  against  whom  the  police  had  been  trying 
to  get  a  case  for  several  years,  one  William  Pell, 
a  young  man  who  was  seldom  known  to  work,  and 
who  was  seen  around  the  house  about  the  time  the 
murder  must  have  been  committed.  Then  came 
a  stickful  of  praise  for  the  well-known  and  efficient 
officer,  Mr.  Skinner. 

Harley  called  at  the  jail  and  saw  Billy. 

"How  about  the  reward,  Harley?" 

"There  is  no  reward,"  said  Harley,  "but  you  keep 
your  mouth  shut  and  I  will  see  that  you  get  some 
thing,  and  I  will  make  Skinner  feel  as  small  as  a 
pants  button." 

Harley  had  been  assigned  to  this  case  by  the  paper 
at  his  own  request.  He  next  visited  an  acquaint 
ance,  a  private  detective  who  hated  Skinner  as 
warmly  as  did  Harley. 

"Get  your  darbies,  Sam,  and  come  with  me.  I 
will  give  you  the  extreme  pleasure  of  putting  them 


28o  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

on  to  the  murderer  of  Mrs.  Morgan,  if  he  has  not 
skipped  out." 

A  warrant  was  sworn  out  charging  Steve  Blake 
with  disorderly  conduct,  and  the  two  men  started 
for  Warrington  street.  They  called  at  the  home  of 
the  Burleys,  and,  by  a  little  scheming,  in  which 
Lizzy  helped,  Big  Steve  was  brought  into  view. 

"That  is  the  man  who  assaulted  me,"  said  Har- 
ley. 

In  less  time  than  it  could  be  told,  Big  Steve  was 
under  arrest  and  in  irons.  A  carriage  took  them  to 
the  police  station,  where  he  was  charged  with  the 
murder  of  his  own  mother,  and  the  big  brute  broke 
down  and  made  a  full  confession. 


CHAPTER   XXIV 

Five  years  have  come  and  gone  since  the  happen 
ings  recorded  in  the  last  chapter.  The  reconstruc 
tion  period  in  the  South  is  over;  the  hardships  of 
the  Civil  War  are  only  a  memory,  and  although  to 
many  a  sad  memory,  most  people  are  too  busily 
engaged  looking  after  the  present  and  future  to  give 
much  thought  to  the  past. 

Doctor  Lovelace,  his  wife,  and  Colonel  Morgan 
have  long  since  returned  to  their  Southern  home, 
but  the  letters  between  Laura  and  Olive  have  kept 
the  friends  in  both  sections  of  the  country  informed 
of  the  changes  that  have  come  to  them. 

Frank  and  Olive  are  now  in  a  home  of  their  own 
in  Somerville,  and  have  to  keep  them  busy  a 
daughter  of  four  years  and  a  son  of  three  years  of 
age. 

Dick  is  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  finest  furniture 
stores  in  the  city.  For  the  past  five  years  he  has 
conducted  a  wholesale  and  retail  business  that  has 
been  the  means  of  making  both  himself  and  his 
friend,  Jim  Anderson,  rich.  A  large  portion  of  the 
furniture  manufacturing  business  formerly  carried 
on  in  Boston  has  been  taken  west  to  Grand  Rapids 
and  other  points,  but  Dick  has  kept  up  with  the 
times  and  has  the  best  of  connections  with  the  west 
ern  houses,  while  at  their  factory  in  Boston  they 
confine  themselves  to  the  manufacture  of  certain 
fine  goods  for  which  in  and  near  Boston  there  is 
always  a  demand. 

281 


28a  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

There  is  a  desk  and  chair  in  Dick  Vaughn's 
private  office  that  has  been  there  for  three  years, 
but  is  seldom  used;  it  belongs  to  Harley  Bean,  the 
vice-president  of  the  company.  Outside  of  the 
people  connected  with  the  business  hardly  any  one 
knows  that  Harley  Bean  has  any  connection  with 
the  Anderson  &  Vaughn  Furniture  Company.  He 
is  still  connected  with  the  Herald,  and  takes  his 
assignments  the  same  as  the  rest;  he  still  kicks  at 
the  meanness  and  partiality  shown  by  the  city 
editor,  enjoys  a  small  portion  of  the  fiery  fluid,  and 
keeps  up  his  acquaintance  with  the  semi-criminal 
classes. 

Dick  and  Harley  still  share  bachelor  apartments 
at  Mrs.  Sargent's,  but  they  have  moved  down  to 
the  second  floor  now,  and  have  more  of  the  modern 
conveniences  that  make  life  nearer  worth  living. 
Harley  has  never  married  a  second  time.  He  has 
confided  to  Dick  that  he  is  in  love  with  a  pure  and 
beautiful  woman ;  that  he  dreams  of  her  by  night 
and  thinks  of  her  by  day,  but  that  he  has  not  met 
her  yet. 

"And  what  would  you  do  if  you  should  meet 
her?"  said  Dick.  "Get  married  at  once,  I  suppose." 

"No,  I  think  not,  Dick.  You  see,  if  I  found  her, 
she  would  be  my  ideal;  and  there  are  two  good 
reasons  why  I  should  not  marry  her:  first  if  she 
did  not  stand  the  test,  my  faith  in  womankind 
would  be  gone,  and,  secondly,  if  she  did  stand  the 
test,  she  would  find  me  out  and  then  she  would 
despise  me.  When  I  think  of  those  things  I  am 
content  to  worship  my  ideal  without  trying  very 
hard  to  find  her." 


RICHARD    VAUGHN  283 

"And  have  you  never  seen  any  one  who 
approaches  your  idea  of  an  ideal  woman?" 

"Those  who  approach  it  the  nearest  that  I  have 
ever  seen  are  Laura  and  Olive,  and  two  of  the  most 
fortunate  men  I  have  ever  known  are  Doctor  Love 
lace  and  Frank  Bardwell.  When  I  hear  any  one  say 
that  marriage  is  a  failure  I  think  of  those  two 
couples  and  say  nothing." 

"Then  after  your  own  experience  you  don't  think 
marriage  altogether  a  failure?" 

"Certainly  not;  married  people  who  have  made 
mistakes  fill  the  world  with  their  howling,  but  the 
majority  of  married  people  are  contented  with  their 
choice  and  say  nothing." 

"I  am  glad  to  hear  you  say  as  much,  Harley;  it 
gives  me  a  better  opinion  of  you  than  ever;  but  you 
have  said  nothing  of  Mabel  as  an  ideal  woman." 

"No,  Dick;  she  has  been  weighed  in  the  balance 
and  found  wanting.  The  Bible  says  that  a  woman 
shall  forsake  father  and  mother  and  cling  to  her 
husband,  and  if  only  your  own  minds  had  been  con 
sulted  you  would  have  been  her  husband." 

"How  comes  it  that  you  quote  the  Bible,  Harley? 
I  thought  you  did  not  take  much  stock  in  the 
Bible." 

"I  don't;  but  it  is  a  well-written  book  and  I 
recognize  that  it  has  some  truths  in  it,  and  I 
use  it  the  same  as  the  minister  does,  to  prove  my 
theories.  The  only  difference  between  the  min 
ister  and  myself  is  that  he  pretends  to  swallow 
the  thing  whole,  while  I  only  take  it  in  homeopathic 
doses." 

A  clerk  came  into  the  office  and  handed  Dick  a 


284  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

card.  He  looked  at  it  and  nodded.  In  a  moment 
Miss  Julia  Hartley  was  ushered  in. 

"Good  afternoon,  Mr.  Vaughn,"  said  she,  extend 
ing  her  hand;  and  then  as  she  caught  sight  of  Har- 
ley — "and  Mr.  Bean,  too.  How  delighted  I  am  to 
see  you!  I  was  out  to  your  cousin's  and  we  were 
talking  about  you.  She  is  very  fond  of  you,  Mr. 
Bean,  and  feels  it  sadly  that  you  do  not  come  to  see 
her  oftener.  She  is  such  a  good  woman,  and  so 
wrapped  up  in  her  husband  and  children.  Her 
little  boy  that  is  named  after  you  is  my  especial 
delight.  Such  a  bright,  intelligent  fellow!  He 
makes  me  think  of  you  so  much." 

"Poor  boy!"  said  Harley.  "Do  you  think  he 
looks  like  me?" 

"Oh,  how  funny  you  are,  Mr.  Bean!  Your 
remarks  always  seem  to  have  some  hidden  mean 
ing.  But  I  called  to  sell  Mr.  Vaughn  some  tickets 
for  our  entertainment,  and  now  that  you  are  here  I 
am  sure  I  am  fortunate.  The  tickets  are  only 
twenty-five  cents,  and  it  is  for  such  a  good  cause :  it 
is  to  help  our  foreign  missionary  society.  Mr. 
Rogers,  from  India,  has  been  waking  us  up  to  our 
duties  in  that  direction.  His  lectures  are  splendid 
and  he  has  made  us  realize  the  necessity  of  doing 
more  for  our  benighted  brothers  in  foreign  lands. 
He  has  told  us  how,  in  their  idolatry,  the  mothers 
throw  their  children  into  the  Ganges,  and  how  the 
widows  of  the  dead  idolaters  are  burned  on  the 
funeral  pyre.  Oh,  it  is  dreadful,  and  if  we  could 
only  succeed  in  gathering  those  people  into  the  fold 
of  Christ,  how  much  suffering  those  poor  creatures 
could  be  saved!" 


RICHARD  VAUGHN  285 

"After  all,"  said  Harley,  "there  are  some  good 
points  about  their  belief.  Take  that  case  out  in 
Waltham  that  happened  last  week — you  read  it  most 
likely — how  a  Mrs.  Smythe  poisoned  her  husband. 
Now,  if  she  had  known  that  she  was  to  be  burned 
with  him  after  his  death,  she  would  have  been  anx 
ious  to  have  kept  him  alive.  Did  you  read  of  the 
case,  Miss  Hartley?" 

"I  don't  think  I  did,  Mr.  Bean;  I  seldom  read 
criminal  news.  The  papers  are  awful  now,  anyway, 
and  if  I  had  my  way  I  would  have  those  sensational 
things  suppressed." 

"Why  don't  you  suppress  the  Rev.  Mr.  Rogers? 
Those  things  he  has  been  telling  you  are  the  most 
sensational  of  anything  I  have  heard  lately, 
although  I  think  I  read  the  same  thing  in  the  text 
books  when  I  attended  school.  The  trouble  with 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Rogers  is  the  same  as  with  the  rest  of 
his  kind:  they  overlook  the  heathens  in  their  own 
country  to  hunt  for  wrongs  to  right  somewhere 
else." 

"But  you  know,  Mr.  Bean,  the  Bible  commands 
that  we  shall  carry  the  gospel  to  the  uttermost  parts 
of  the  earth,  and  Mr.  Rogers  is  only  following  out 
the  Bible  injunctions.  Now,  Mr.  Bean,  after  all  you 
have  said,  how  many  tickets  are  you  going  to  take?" 

"You  are  sure  this  is  for  the  benefit  of  the  foreign 
missions?" 

"Certainly." 

"Then  I  don't  take  any.  You  see,  several  years 
ago  I  wandered  into  a  church  while  they  were  tak 
ing  up  a  collection,  and,  not  thinking,  I  put  ten 
cents  in  the  box.  Afterwards  I  found  out  that  the 


286  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

collection  was  being  taken  up  for  the  benefit  of  for 
eign  missions,  and  I  have  worried  about  it  ever 
since.  You  see,  it  is  against  my  principles,  and  it 
hurts  me  to  go  against  my  principles;  I  have  so  few 
good  ones  that  I  cannot  afford  it." 

Miss  Hartley  looked  puzzled,  but  before  she  had  a 
chance  to  speak  the  door  opened  and  in  walked  a 
poorly-clad  newsboy,  and  laying  down  the  evening 
paper,  started  out. 

"Hold  on  there,  Roy,"  said  Harley;  "here  is  a 
bundle  for  you.  Now  run  along. " 

"Run  nothin',"  said  Roy,  as  he  took  hold  of  the 
string  and  gave  the  bundle  a  jerk.  Then,  as  a  pair 
of  new  shoes  dropped  out  of  the  paper,  he  said:  "I 
knowed  what  was  in  there  all  de  time."  Letting 
go  his  papers,  he  dropped  to  the  floor  and  slipped 
on  the  shoes. 

"They  is  a  boss  fit,"  he  said;  and  as  he  picked  up 
his  papers,  he  put  his  hand  on  Harley  and  said: 
"My  ma  says  you' s  de  boss  man  of  dis  town,  and 
yous  min'  what  I  tell  yer,  de  time  will  come  when 
I'll  pay  for  de  ham  an'  spuds." 

"Get  out  of  here,  you  young  Arab,"  said  Har 
ley,  as  he  motioned  the  lad  towards  the  door. 

This  was  one  of  the  few  times  that  Dick  had  seen 
Harley  embarrassed,  and  he  enjoyed  the  whole 
thing.  Miss  Hartley  was  surprised,  but  she  recov 
ered  the  use  of  her  tongue  at  once,  and  said : 

"No  wonder  your  cousin  and  your  other  friends 
are  always  ready  to  say  so  much  in  your  favor. 
The  last  time  I  was  out  to  your  cousin's  she  said  she 
did  not  see  why  so  good  and  true  a  man  as  you 
should  go  through  life  single  just  because  you  had 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  287 

made  one  mistake.  Now  tell  us,  Mr.  Bean,  why 
don't  you  please  your  cousin  and  make  some  good 
true  woman,  who  would  love  you,  happy  by  getting 
married?" 

"What  expressive  eyes  you  have,  Miss  Hartley; 
they  fairly  talk,"  said  Harley,  evading  the  ques 
tion  she  had  asked. 

"I  have  been  told  that  my  eyes  were  beautiful, 
Mr.  Bean,  but  I  do  not  allow  myself  to  think  of  such 
flattery.  My  life  is  taken  up  with  more  serious 
things." 

"Here,"  said  Dick,  handing  her  a  five-dollar  bill, 
"I  will  take  twenty  of  those  tickets.  I  know  you 
are  anxious  to  get  away." 

Miss  Hartley  counted  out  the  tickets,  and,  taking 
the  five-dollar  bill,  passed  out.  Harley  held  the 
door  open  for  her. 

"Say,  Dick,"  said  Harley,  "you  got  rid  of  her 
nicely,  but  those  eyes  of  hers  were  working  over 
time  clear  up  to  the  time  I  shut  the  door.  It  would 
be  safe  to  bet  that  she  would  be  willing  to  give  up 
foreign  missions  for  a  domestic  heathen  any  day  in 
the  week. " 

"Provided  you  were  the  domestic  heathen,  I  guess 
you  are  right,"  said  Dick,  "for  she  certainly  has 
designs  on  you.  After  all,  Harley,  you  might  do 
worse.  You  would  have  rather  a  nice-looking  wife, 
and  she  would  be  so  pleased  at  the  idea  of  getting 
married  that  you  could  mold  her  in  any  way  you 
liked." 

"Perhaps  that  is  true,  Dick,  but  I  think  I  am 
more  of  a  grafter  than  a  molder ;  so  for  the  pres 
ent  I  think  I  will  pass  her  up. ' ' 


288  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

"Then  there  are  her  eyes,  Harley;  just  think  of 
those  eyes.  .  How  can  you  resist?" 

"Yes,  I  know;  but  just  think  of  a  man  having  to 
get  up  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  light  a  candle  and 
wake  up  his  wife  to  look  at  her  eyes  so  that  he  could 
have  some  consolation  to  offset  other  defects.  No, 
not  yet,  Dick;  she  will  keep  a  few  years  yet  in  case 
I  should  change  my  mind." 

Soon  after,  Harley  went  out  to  Somerville  to  see 
Frank  and  Olive,  and  also  to  call  on  his  cousin.  At 
his  cousin's  he  was  more  of  a  lion  than  ever.  Miss 
Hartley  had  told  the  story  of  the  newsboy  and  the 
shoes.  She  had  also  told  how  nicely  Harley  had 
spoken  of  her  eyes,  and  as  Mrs.  Flanders,  Harley's 
cousin,  put  it,  she  had  never  seen  Julia  look  so 
handsome  as  when  she  was  telling  of  Harley. 

It  was  still  early  in  the  evening  when  Miss  Hart 
ley  was  announced.  Mrs.  Flanders  tried  to  look 
surprised  at  seeing  her,  but  James  Flanders  winked 
at  Harley  and  they  both  understood  that  Harley's 
cousin  was  still  at  her  favorite  amusement  of  match 
making. 

"You  taught  me  a  lesson  the  last  time  we  met," 
said  Miss  Hartley,  addressing  Harley. 

"Did  I?  Then  let  me  teach  you  one  more. 
Don't  say  anything  about  it.  I  shall  be  delighted  to 
find  you  an  apt  scholar.  Dick  Vaughn  spoke  very 
nicely  of  you  and  said  he  was  sura  that  if  you 
thought  anything  of  a  man  you  could  be  molded 
by  the  one  you  cared  for  as  clay  in  the  hands  of  the 
potter.  Dick  doesn't  often  speak  of  the  ladies,  but 
it  struck  me  that  he  was  taking  you  rather  seri 
ously.  ' ' 


RICHARD  VAUGHN  289 

"I  wish  I  knew  when  to  take  you  seriously,  Mr. 
Bean." 

"Always,  Miss  Hartley,  always.  Cousin  Mary 
here  can  tell  you  that  there  has  been  nothing  in  my 
life  to  make  me  anything  but  serious.  Life  is 
always  serious.  By  the  way,  James,  have  you  any 
more  of  that  old  whisky  left  such  as  you  gave  me 
the  last  time  I  was  out  here?" 

"No,  not  a  drop,  Harley.  Mary  thought  it  was 
brandy  and  used  the  last  of  it  in  some  pie  meat." 

"Really,  Mr.  Bean,  you  do  not  drink  whisky,  do 
you?"  said  Miss  Hartley. 

"No,  not  when  it  is  in  pie  meat;  I  draw  the  line 
at  drinking  pie." 

"Won't  you  sing  something,  Miss  Hartley?"  asked 
Mrs.  Flanders. 

"Yes,  sing,"  said  Harley.  "I  promised  Frank 
Bardwell  that  I  would  go  over  and  see  him  a  few 
minutes  this  evening.  I  will  be  back  in  a  little 
while  and  we  will  try  to  get  some  of  the  whisky 
out  of  that  pie." 

"Why,  Harley,"  said  Mrs.  Flanders,  putting  on  a 
hurt  expression;  and  then,  as  a  bright  thought 
seemed  to  strike'her,  she  said:  "You  go  over  with 
him,  Miss  Hartley,  and  see  that  he  doesn't  stay  too 
long.  The  evening  is  pleasant  and  you  will  both 
enjoy  the  walk." 

In  a  few  moments  Harley  and  Miss  Hartley  were 
on  their  way  to  Frank's  house.  It  was  only  five 
blocks,  but  Julia  Hartley  was  not  the  kind  who  lost 
valuable  time. 

"Really,  Mr.  Bean,  I  never  know  how  to  take  you, 
you  say  such  strange  things ;  and  if  I  did  not  know 


ago  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

that  you  were  pure  gold,  I  should  be  tempted  to 
think  sometimes  that  there  was  a  large  amount  of 
alloy  in  your  make-up." 

"Don't  take  me  at  all,  Miss  Hartley.  You  have 
stated  my  case  exactly ;  I  am  pure  gold,  and  pure 
gold  in  itself  is  the  most  worthless  of  metals.  Now 
there  is  Dick  Vaughn.  There  is  a  man  who  is  worth 
taking.  When  I  first  knew  Dick  he  was  pure  gold 
too,  but  he  fell  in  love  with  Mabel  Richards,  and, 
listening  to  her  folks,  she  turned  Dick  down  hard; 
but  she  did  the  best  thing  for  him  that  could  have 
been  done,  for  that  very  turning  down  was  the 
means  of  mixing  him  with  the  alloy  of  the  world. 
He  had  a  purpose  in  life;  the  alloy  stiffened  his  back 
and  put  sense  into  his  head.  If  it  had  not  been  that 
he  got  into  trouble,  he  would  most  likely  have  mar 
ried  Mabel,  and  to-day  he  would  have  been  a  clerk 
in  the  Metro  Bank  at  a  hundred  dollars  a  month, 
with  which  he  would  have  had  to  support  a  wife  and 
six  children.  As  it  is  he  is  one  of  the  rich  business 
men  of  Boston,  looked  up  to  and  honored.  The  old 
president  of  the  Metro  Bank  is  dead,  and  his  son, 
the  fellow  who  tried  to  get  Dick  into  trouble,  is  in 
a  home  for  inebriates.  Such  is  life,  Miss  Hart 
ley,  and  the  best  advice  I  can  give  you  is  to  steer 
clear  of  the  fellow  who  is  only  pure  gold.  They 
are  not  ace  high  when  it  comes  to  supporting  a 
family." 

While  Harley  had  been  talking  he  led  the  way 
into  a  side  street  and  went  three  blocks  out  of  his 
way  to  get  to  Frank's  house.  This  pleased  Miss 
Hartley,  for  she  saw  in  it  a  desire  on  Harley's  part 
to  be  longer  alone  in  her  company.  It  was  a 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  291 

decided  encouragement  for  her,  and  it  made  her 
bold  enough  to  say: 

"You  may  run  yourself  down  all  you  wish,  Mr. 
Bean,  but  I  know  your  true  worth,  and  I  will 
assure  you  that  your  friend  Mr.  Vaughn  was  right 
when  he  said  that  a  man  whom  I  loved  could  mold 
me  to  suit  himself.  I  don't  see  why  things  happen 
as  they  do.  I  have  had  numberless  offers  of  mar 
riage,  but  the  right  one  never  seemed  to  understand 
me.  I  had  an  offer  only  last  week  from  a  very  fine 
gentleman  who  has  money  and  has  retired  from 
business,  and  he  cried  like  a  child  when  I  told  him 
that  I  could  not  love  him." 

"Poor  old  man!"  said  Harley.  "How  he  must 
have  suffered!" 

"He  isn't  so  very  old." 

"He  is  over  sixty;  he  told  me  so  himself." 

"Look  here,  Mr.  Bean,  how  do  you  know  whom  I 
am  talking  about?" 

"Well,  of  course,  I  don't  for  sure,  but  I  can  make 
a  pretty  shrewd  guess.  You  see,  old  Father  Lock- 
wood's  wife  died  about  six  months  ago,  and,  accord 
ing  to  all  accounts,  he  has  asked  every  unmarried 
woman  in  Cambridge  to  share  his  lot  with  him,  and 
I  should  feel  indignant  if  he  had  slighted  you,  and 
I  feel  a  little  hurt  now  to  think  he  never  asked  you 
until  last  week.  By  the  way,  you  knew  he  was 
married?" 

"Married!     No;  whe'n  did  it  happen?" 

"This  morning.  He  married  a  Canadian  servant 
girl  who  worked  for  Deacon  Hoover." 

"The  old  fool!  And  he  told  me  only  last 
week  that  he  would  never  marry  any  one  if 


292  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

he  could  not  have  me.  How  I  despise  that  old 
man!" 

Frank  and  Olive  were  more  than  surprised  to 
have  a  call  from  Harley  and  Miss  Hartley  at  the 
same  time,  and  it  was  quite  a  while  before  they 
could  be  made  to  understand  that  the  two  had  come 
together. 

"Yes,"  said  Miss  Hartley,  "we  came  together, 
and  Mr.  Bean  insisted  that  we  come  by  the  way  of 
Pine  street,  and  that  made  the  walk  three  blocks 
longer. ' 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bard  well  looked  at  Harley  for  an 
explanation,  and  it  was  not  long  in  coming. 

"Yes,  you  bet!  I  would  go  three  blocks  out  of 
my  way  any  time  to  avoid  going  past  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Justin's  house.  That  old  Methodist  shark  has  mar 
ried  all  my  acquaintances  who  ever  walked  past  his 
house  in  pairs,  and  he  doesn't  catch  me  napping  if  I 
know  it." 

Miss  Hartley  caught  her  breath,  but  only  said: 

"Doesn't  he  say  such  funny  things?" 


CHAPTER   XXV 

The  Richards,  father,  mother  and  daughters,  knew 
of  the  wonderful  success  Dick  had  made  in  his  busi 
ness,  and  it  was  taken  differently  by  each  member 
of  the  family.  The  father  had  never  changed  his 
opinion  of  Dick ;  he  had  always  considered  him  the 
soul  of  honor  and  honesty,  and  there  had  been  no 
day  since  the  day  that  Dick  was  released  from 
prison  when  he  would  not  have  been  pleased  to  have 
accepted  his  as  a  son-in-law.  He  recognized  his 
wife  as  the  mistress  of  the  house  and  home,  and 
although  he  felt  that  both  Mabel  and  Dick  were 
being  wronged,  he  held  his  peace. 

Mildred  Richards,  the  younger  daughter,  having 
found  out  something  of  how  affairs  stood  at  the 
house,  often  walked  past  the  store  of  the  Anderson 
&  Vaughn  Furniture  Company  and  worked  herself 
into  a  fury  over  the  foolishness  of  her  people.  Her 
name  of  Mildred  was  seldom  heard.  She  was  small 
for  her  age  and  usually  went  by  the  name  of  Dot. 
At  this  time  Dot  was  about  twenty  years  of  age, 
and  she  was  entirely  different  from  any  of  the  rest 
of  the  family.  For  the  past  three  years  she  had 
been  away  to  school,  and  if  her  mother  could  have 
known  of  one-half  cf  the  scrapes  she  had  been  in, 
she  would  have  lost  hope  for  her  youngest.  She 
was  a  general  favorite  both  at  school  and  at  home, 
and  this  fact  helped  her  out  of  many  a  scrape.  She 
asked  both  her  mother  and  Mabel  many  pointed  ques- 

293 


a94  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

tions  about  Dick  Vaughn,  and  it  was  only  recently  she 
had  found  out  that  no  good  reason  had  ever  stood  in 
the  way  of  a  marriage  between  the  two  young 
people. 

Mabel  had  been  schooled  from  her  infancy  to  do 
exactly  as  she  was  told  by  her  mother,  and  to  do  it 
without  question.  She  realized  that  her  mother 
was  wrong  in  this  case,  but  she  argued,  as  most 
people  do  not,  that  she  could  never  have  but  one 
mother,  and  she  felt  that  if,  when  her  mother  died 
she  could  say  to  herself  that  she  had  done  no 
one  thing  to  cause  her  grief,  she  would  be  happier 
for  it  the  remainder  of  her  days.  For  five  years  she 
had  never  spoken  to  her  mother  of  Dick  Vaughn. 
Feeling  the  need  of  something  to  occupy  her  mind, 
she  had  taken  up  art  work,  and  had  become  quite 
proficient  as  a  landscape  painter. 

Mrs.  Richards  was  the  one  who  was  in  reality 
bearing  the  heaviest  burden.  She  had  not  been 
blind  to  the  success  that  Dick  Vaughn  had  made  in 
business,  and  she  could  not  help  but  own  to  herself 
that  she  had  spoiled  the  lives  of  two  people,  besides 
making  many  of  her  friends  unhappy.  She  con 
tented  herself  with  the  thought  that  as  far  back  as 
she  could  search  the  records  no  breath  of  suspicion 
had  ever  rested  on  any  of  her  family,  and  she  was 
determined  that  she  would  not  be  the  one  to  let 
down  the  bars  for  any  one  to  enter  who  had  been 
tried  as  a  thief,  even  if  he  had  been  proved  innocent. 

Not  long  after  Dot's  return  from  boarding-school, 
she  astonished  the  family  at  their  six-o'clock  meal 
by  saying: 

"I  saw  Dick  Vaughn  to-day,  and  say,  Mabel,  he 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  295 

is  as  handsome  as  a  prince,  and  dresses  fine.  When 
he  saw  me  coming  he  turned  and  walked  into  his 
store.  I  followed  him  in,  and  said " 

"Mildred!  Mildred!  What  are  you  talking 
about?  You  spoke  to  Mr.  Vaughn?" 

It  was  Mrs.  Richards  who  spoke.  A  bomb  had 
been  thrown  into  the  midst  of  the  usually  quiet 
family,  and  the  result  was  all  that  Miss  Dot  could 
have  wished.  Mabel  turned  deathly  pale;  Mr. 
Richards  hung  his  head,  but  Mrs.  Richards  was 
very  much  excited.  The  meal  was  nearly  over,  and 
it  was  well  that  this  was  true,  for  no  one  seemed  to 
care  to  eat  anything  more. 

"Don't  you  want  to  hear  the  rest?"  asked  Dot. 
"I  can  assure  you  that  it  is  rich,  rare  and  racy,  as 
the  comic  papers  say." 

"What  do  you  know  of  comic  papers,  Mildred?" 

"Oh,  we  never  miss  anything  of  that  kind  at 
school.  Shall  I  tell  you?" 

"No,  Mildred,  you  will  tell  nothing;  but  I  will 
tell  you  something.  As  long  as  you  live  don't  go 
into  that  store  again,  and  don't  ever  mention  that 
man's  name  in  this  house.  Do  you  understand?" 

"Yes;  I  understand  what  you  say  and  I  under 
stand  what  you  mean,  but  I  have  something  to  say 
myself  about  this  time,  and  it  is  this :  when  I  want 
to  talk  about  Dick  Vaughn  or  any  one  else  I  am 
going  to  do  it,  and  when  I  cannot  do  it  in  my  own 
father's  house,  I  will  go  and  jump  into  the  Charles 
river,  and  you  might  just  as  well  understand  that 
now  as  some  ether  time.  All  the  young  men  whom 
you  will  allov;  to  come  to  the  house  are  Sammy 
Huggins  and  John  Lemon,  two  would-be  gospel 


296  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

slingers,  whose  fathers  put  them  into  the  ministry 
because  they  thought  they  didn't  have  sense  enough 
to  get  a  living  any  other  way.  I  would  like  to  scald 
both  of  them." 

"Mildred!   Mildred!" 

Mrs.  Richards  was  standing  and  had  raised  both 
hands  in  a  vain  attempt  to  express  her  astonish 
ment.  Mabel  had  moved  back  her  chair  from  the 
table  and  was  awaiting  further  developments.  Mr. 
Richards  was  the  only  one  who  seemed  undis 
turbed.  He  had  stopped  eating,  but  had  neither 
moved  nor  spoken. 

"Mildred,"  said  Mrs.  Richards,  "go  to  your  room 
at  once." 

' '  I  am  not  ready  to  go  to  my  room  yet ;  in  fact,  I 
have  not  finished  eating." 

"Mildred,  I  order  you  to  leave  this  room.  Are 
you  going  to  mind  me?" 

"I  have  done  nothing  to  leave  the  room  for;  I  am 
at  my  father's  table;  when  he  tells  me  to  leave  the 
room  I  will  do  so;  but  if  I  leave  the  room  I  will 
leave  the  house  and  if  I  leave  the  house  it  will  be 
forever.  There  is  some  of  your  work,"  continued 
Dot,  pointing  to  Mabel  who  was  crying.  "I  would 
rather  be  dead  than  buried  alive." 

"Charles,"  said  Mrs.  Richards,  "it  is  time  for  you 
to  say  something.  I  fear  I  am  beyond  my  depth." 

"Yes,  I  think  you  are,  mother;  I  have  felt  that 
you  were  floundering  for  some  time.  You  have  had 
everything  to  say  about  Mabel ;  my  desires  in  the 
matter  have  never  been  consulted,  and  when  I  have 
given  a  word  of  advice  it  has  been  set  aside.  I  pro 
pose  now  to  take  Dot  in  hand  myself,  and  I  will  be 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  297 

answerable  not  only  for  her  conduct,  but  for  her 
happiness  as  well." 

Mrs.  Richards  and  Mabel  left  the  room.  For 
the  space  of  a  few  moments  after  the  two  had  left 
the  room  there  was  no  word  spoken.  Then  Dot  said: 

"Say,  Pop,  do  you  think  I  am  so  very  awful?" 

"On  the  contrary,  Dot,  I  think  you  are  splendid. 
You  have  given  me  the  first  chance  to  have  a  word 
to  say  in  the  house  for  twenty-five  years.  Mabel 
never  appealed  to  me,  but  accepted  her  mother's 
decision  without  a  murmur,  and,  although  I  felt  it 
was  wrong,  1  seemed  to  have  no  excuse  to  go 
against  your  mother's  will." 

"Then  you  are  not  against  Mr.  Vaughn?" 

"Bless  you,  no,  my  child.  Dick  Vaughn  could 
have  had  my  consent  even  when  he  was  in  jail,  for 
I  knew  he  was  innocent." 

Dot  threw  her  arms  around  her  father's  neck  and 
kissed  him.  "I  never  knew  how  much  I  loved  you 
until  this  minute,  old  sweetheart." 

And  then  she  told  him  about  her  visit  to  Mr. 
Vaughn's  store,  or  as  much  of  it  as  she  could 
remember,  which  in  reality  happened  in  this  way: 
Dot  had  just  wakened  up  to  the  realization  that 
there  was  something  wrong,  and  had  decided  that 
she  would  find  out  what  it  was  all  about.  So,  on 
this  particular  afternoon,  she  left  the  house  for  the 
sole  purpose  of  hunting  up  Mr.  Vaughn  and  telling 
him  what  she  thought  of  the  whole  affair.  She  had 
no  plan  of  action  laid  out ;  in  fact,  if  she  had  thought 
about  it  at  all  she  would  not  have  considered  a  plan 
of  action  necessary.  She  knew  that  Mabel  was  not 
her  old  self,  for  she  knew  of  wakeful  nights  and 


298  RICHARD    VAUGHN 

days  of  hard  work  which  Mabel  experienced,  and 
she  felt  sure  that  the  reason  Mabel  worked  so  hard 
days  was  not  so  much  that  she  might  reach  any  par 
ticular  height  in  art,  but  rather  that  she  might  get 
tired  enough  to  be  able  to  sleep  nights. 

It  was  with  these  ideas  running  through  her 
mind  that  Dot  started  out  to  find  Dick,  and  as  luck 
would  have  it,  she  found  him  standing  in  front  of 
his  Washington  street  store  talking  with  an  acquaint 
ance.  As  Dot  came  up  the  acquaintance  took  his 
departure,  and  Dick  turned  and  walked  into  the 
store.  Dot  followed,  and,  watching  her  chance 
when  she  could  speak  to  him  and  not  have  others 
hear,  she  said: 

"Mr.  Vaughn,  don't  you  know  me?" 

"Of  course  I  do,"  said  Dick;  "you  are  Mabel's 
sister,  and  you  haven't  grown  as  much  as  the  law 
allows  either." 

"Well,  Mr.  Dick,  I  didn't  come  to  be  insulted 
about  my  size,  and  I  would  like  to  remind  you  that 
I  have  a  name  that  is  all  my  own — a  fact  that  you 
seem  to  have  forgotten." 

"No,  I  have  not  forgotten,  little  Dot,  and  you 
seem  to  be  as  much  of  a  fire-eater  as  you  always 
were.  Did  you  bring  any  word  from  Mabel?" 

"No,  I  came  to  see  you  for  myself.  No  one 
knows  that  I  am  here  or  that  I  intended  coming. 
You  know  I  have  been  away  from  home  for  three 
years,  and  it  is  only  recently  that  I  have  realized  the 
seriousness  of  the  trouble  between  you  and  Mabel. 

"Perhaps  you  had  better  come  into  the  office,  as 
then  the  clerks  and  customers  will  not  be  liable  to 
overhear  what  does  not  concern  them." 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  299 

Dick  led  the  way  to  his  private  office.  After  they 
were  seated,  he  said: 

"Dot,  I  fear  you  are  doing  wrong  in  coming  here, 
particularly  as  you  are  here  without  the  knowledge 
or  consent  of  your  parents,  and  although  I  feel  as  if 
it  were  my  duty  to  scold  you  for  coming,  I  am  much 
more  inclined  to  take  you  in  my  arms  and  kiss 
you." 

"Thanks,  Mr.  Dick;  I  don't  need  kissing,  and,  as 
for  the  scolding,  I  will  most  likely  get  my  fill  of 
that  when  I  go  home,  if  I  tell  where  I  have  been. 
What  I  came  to  see  you  for  is  this;  I  want  to  know 
what  the  real  trouble  is  between  my  people  and 
you.  No  one  will  tell  me  a  thing,  and  I  have  asked 
all  three  of  them." 

"There  is  no  trouble  on  my  side  of  the  house, 
Dot.  I  was  arrested  once  on  a  false  charge,  and  for 
that  reason  your  mother  forbade  me  to  ever  come 
to  the  house.  I  demanded  my  right  to  see  Mabel 
once  more,  and  managed  to  see  her.  Mabel  told  me 
at  that  time  that  she  would  never  marry  any  one 
else,  and  I  told  her  the  same.  I  may  have  felt  that 
she  was  wrong  in  considering  her  duty  to  her 
mother  of  more  importance  than  her  duty  to  one 
who  was  an  accepted  lover,  but  I  did  not  try  to 
influence  her.  To  tell  you  the  truth,  Dot,  I  did 
not  think  it  would  last  as  long  as  this.  Really,  I 
did  not  think  it  would  last  as  many  months  as  it  has 
years.  I  gave  my  whole  time  to  business  and  have 
succeeded  beyond  my  wildest  expectations.  Every 
thing  that  I  have  touched  has  turned  to  money,  but 
I  would  give  it  all  to-day  to  have  the  love  and  per 
fect  confidence  of  your  sister." 


300  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

"Don't  talk  that  way,  Dick;  you  make  me  feel  as 
though  I  must  cry." 

"I  don't  want  you  to  cry,  my  dear,  but  you  came 
to  me  and  asked  me  a  question,  and  I  have  answered 
you  to  the  best  of  my  ability." 

"I  am  sure  I  thank  you  for  the  frank  way  that 
3rou  have  answered  me,  but  now  that  you  have  told 
me  and  I  realize  just  how  you  feel,  and  when  I  think 
of  Mabel  as  she  goes  to  her  room  every  night,  takes 
your  picture  out  of  its  hiding-place  and  looks  at  it 
for  a  full  hour,  and  when  I  think  of  how  much  she 
has  changed  and  how  you  have  lost  your  good- 
natured  careless  air,  I  cannot  help  but  think  that 
you  are  two  big  fools.  Now,  turn  me  out  of  your 
office  if  you  want  to,  for  I  mean  every  word  of 
it." 

Dick  smiled. 

"Perhaps  you  are  right,  Dot.  I  am  not  going  to 
turn  you  out  of  the  office  for  saying  what  you  think, 
for  a  man's  best  friends  are  those  who  tell  him  the 
truth  as  they  see  it." 

"After  all,  Dick,  I  don't  know  as  you  were  so 
much  to  blame.  You  left  it  all  to  Mabel,  and  she 
decided  to  abide  by  her  mother's  decision.  Tell  me 
this:  if  Mabel  had  decided  for  you,  would  you  have 
married  her  in  spite  of  mother?" 

"I  most  certainly  would  have,  Dot,  for  I  knew  no 
other  law  than  that  of  Mabel's  giving." 

"I  am  glad  to  hear  you  say  that,  for  it  seems 
more  like  your  old  self.  Say,  Dick,  it  has  just 
occurred  to  me  that  I  ought  to  call  you  Mr  Vaughn. 
Why,  you  are  rich  now  and  have  lots  of  people  in 
your  employ.  I  did  not  realize  that  before.  How 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  301 

funny  it  seems,  Dick — there  I  go  again, — Mr. 
Vaughn,  I  mean." 

"No,  Dot,  you  don't  mean  Mr.  Vaughn  at  all. 
Almost  every  one  calls  me  Mr.  Vaughn — all  but 
some  very  dear  friends,  and  as  you  have  proved 
yourself  one  of  my  dearest  ones,  you  must  still  con 
tinue  to  call  me  Dick,  and  I  will  call  you  Dot,  for 
there  is  no  estrangement  between  us,  and  I  trust 
there  never  will  be." 

"All  right,  Dick;  it's  a  bargain.  I  must  be  going 
now,  and  when  I  get  home  I  am  going  to  upset  the 
whole  house." 

"Be  careful,  Dot;  don't  do  anything  rash." 

"Don't  worry.  I  will  come  over  soon  and  tell  you 
how  I  came  out." 

This  was  the  visit  of  which  Dot  undertook  to  tell 
her  father,  and  when  she  had  finished  Mr.  Richards 
sat  for  a  while  without  saying  a  word. 

"Are  you  vexed  with  me,  father?" 

"No,  my  child,  I  am  not  vexed.  I  was  not  think 
ing  of  what  you  have  been  telling  me  altogether;  I 
was  thinking  of  this:  I  have  taken  charge  of  you 
and  I  want  you  to  promise  me  something,  so  that  I 
will  feel  easy  about  you.  I  want  you  to  promise 
me  that  you  will  not  do  anything  or  go  anywhere 
that  you  think  I  would  object  to,  and  I  want  you  to 
make  a  confidant  of  me  the  same  as  you  would  of  a 
chum  at  school.  Will  you  do  this?" 

"Tell  me  first,  Pop;  did  I  do  wrong  in  going  to 
see  Dick?" 

"I  don't  think  so,  little  one." 

"Then  I  promise  that  you  shall  have  my  entire 
confidence." 


303  RICHARD    VAUGHN 

"Suppose  I  had  said  that  you  did  do  wrong  in 
going  to  see  Dick;  what  then?" 

"Then  we  would  have  talked  it  over,  and  I  would 
have  convinced  you  that  I  was  right." 

Mr.  Richards'  house  was  a  large  one  and  the  sis 
ters  each  had  a  good  large  room  to  herself,  but  very 
often  at  night  they  shared  one  room.  When  Dot 
retired  this  night  on  which  she  had  had  the  talk 
with  her  father,  she  decided  that  she  would  not  go 
to  her  sister's  room.  She  had  seen  neither  her 
mother  nor  sister  since  they  had  left  the  table  early 
in  the  evening,  but  she  argued  to  herself  that  it 
would  be  better  for  Mabel  to  come  to  her  than  for 
her  to  force  herself  upon  Mabel.  Dot's  brain  was 
busy  on  schemes  to  biing  the  lovers  together.  She 
was  not  much  used  to  serious  planning,  however, 
and  she  soon  drooped  off  to  sleep.  It  must  have 
been  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  when  she  awak 
ened  to  find  herself  in  Mabel's  arms.  She  had 
expected  this,  for  she  felt  sure  that  Mabel  would 
want  to  know  something  of  what  had  happened 
when  she  saw  Dick.  Realizing  that  Mabel  was 
awake,  she  said: 

"Don't  worry;  Dick  loves  you  and  is  waiting  for 
you." 

"But  I  do  worry,  Dot,  for  when  I  allowed  mother 
to  send  him  away  he  was  a  poor  boy ;  now  he  is  a 
rich  man.  If  he  were  still  poor  I  would  marry  him 
to-morrow,  but  now  it  can  never  be." 

This  was  a  new  and  unlooked-for  complication,  and 
after  thinking  it  over  for  a  few  minutes,  Dot  said; 

"I  had  not  thought  of  that,  Mabel,  but  I  have 
decided  that  Dick  is  going  to  marry  a  Richards,  and 
if  you  give  him  up  I  will  marry  him  myself." 


CHAPTER   XXVI 

Although  Harley  Bean  seemed  to  delight  in 
explaining  his  theory  that  there  was  no  such  thing 
as  friendship  and  that  all  men  were  governed  by 
purely  selfish  motives,  there  were  a  few  acquaint 
ances  that  he  never  lost  sight  of.  Dick  occasionally 
joked  him  about  these  acquaintances,  calling  them 
Harley's  friends,  but  Harley  was  ever  ready  with 
his  old  reasoning,  to  the  effect  that  they  were  not 
friends,  only  acquaintances;  that  he — Harley — 
gained  more  from  them  than  they  did  from  him. 

Harley  paid  a  good  deal  of  attention  to  the  Bard- 
wells,  and  the  two  Bardwell  children  were  ever 
ready  to  give  him  a  warm  welcome.  It  often  hap 
pened  that  he  stayed  at  their  house  over  night  when 
it  was  not  necessary  for  him  to  be  at  the  office  early 
in  the  morning. 

On  one  of  these  occasions,  when  Harley  had  got 
ten  on  a  Somerville  street-car  on  his  way  into  the 
city,  he  noticed  a  familiar  figure  entering  the  car. 
It  was  no  other  than  brother  Lemon — the  generous 
steward  of  the  Methodist  church.  There  was  a 
vacant  seat  next  to  Harley,  and  brother  Lemon 
took  it.  He  looked  at  Harley,  but  failing  to  recog 
nize  him  as  any  one  he  had  seen  before,  he  scanned 
all  of  the  other  passengers.  He  nodded  to  some 
whom  he  knew,  while  those  he  did  not  know  he 
seemed  to  study. 

All  went  well  until  the  draw  was  reached  on  the 
303 


304  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

bridge  between  Cambridge  and  Boston,  but  there 
was  a  schooner  hard  and  fast  in  the  draw.  Most  of 
the  passengers  got  out  to  look  at  the  sight  and  to 
get  in  the  way  of  those  who  might  do  some  good  if 
they  had  a  chance.  A  few  of  the  passengers  stayed 
in  the  car,  among  the  number  being  Harley  and 
Mr.  Lemon.  It  was  not  lung  before  Mr.  Lemon 
put  his  hand  on  Harley 's  knee,  and  said: 

"My  friend,  do  you  love  Jesus?" 

"Whom  did  you  say?"  asked  Harley. 

"I  said  Jesus.  Are  you  a  follower  of  the  meek 
and  lowly  Jesus?" 

"I  don't  think  I  know  him.  Does  he  do  business 
on  Market  street?" 

"My  dear  young  man,  you  may  make  a  joke  of 
this  thing,  but  it  is  a  serious  matter  and  you  will 
find  it  to  be  so  some  time.  You  had  a  mother  once; 
perhaps  she  is  still  alive  and  praying  for  her  way 
ward  son.  Don't  you  ever  think  of  her  as  she 
kneels  beside  her  bed  and  asks  God  to  watch  over 
and  protect  you?" 

"Never  thought  much  about  it.  You  see,  my 
mother  passed  in  her  checks  some  time  ago.  She 
lived  down  in  Maine  where  they  pry  the  sun  up  with 
a  crowbar,  and  as  she  had  a  large  family  of  chil 
dren,  it  took  most  of  her  time  to  mend  stockings  and 
patch  trousers  and  do  ether  little  things  that  had  to 
be  done,  and  that  left  her  sort  of  short  on  prayer 
time." 

"But  didn't  she  send  you  to  Sunday-school,  or 
didn't  the  minister  come  around  once  in  a  while  and 
tell  you  the  story  of  the  cross  and  how  Christ  died 
to  save  sinners?" 


RICHARD  VAUGHN  305 

As  for  Sunday-school,  we  never  had  much  of  that, 
as  we  were  a  long  way  from  town  and  the  Sunday- 
schools  that  they  held  in  the  school-houses  were  few 
and  far  between;  but  the  minister  used  to  come 
around  once  in  a  while  and  read  and  pray  with  us. 
Then  he  would  hold  services  in  the  school-house  and 
we  would  all  go  and  hear  him  tell  what  poor  miser 
able  sinners  we  were.  Then  he  would  tell  how  we 
were  all  born  in  sin,  and  about  hell  being  paved 
with  infants'  skulls,  until  we  couldn't  have  slept 
nights  if  it  hadn't  been  that  mother  told  us  that  it 
was  all  a  piece  of  foolishness  and  that  the  minister 
didn't  know  anything  more  about  the  hereafter  than 
we  did.  You  see,  mother  had  a  sort  of  an  inclina 
tion  to  pry  into  things,  and  if  the  preacher  stopped 
at  our  house  and  told  of  any  of  those  strange  stories 
out  of  the  Bible,  mother  wanted  to  know  how  he 
knew  they  were  true.  The  preachers  got  so  after  a 
while  that  they  let  mother  alone,  but  they  never 
missed  stopping  at  the  house  when  it  was  near  meal 
time.  I  never  shall  forget  what  old  Elder  Burt  said 
once,  as  he  helped  himself  to  a  second  piece  of 
mince  pie.  He  said,  'You  may  not  believe  all  of 
the  Bible,  Mrs.  Bean,  but  it  can't  be  possible  that 
they  will  leave  a  woman  out  of  heaven  who  can 
make  pie  like  this.'  " 

"But  wasn't  your  father  a  Christian?" 
"Oh,  yes;  father  was  a  pretty  good  Christian. 
You  see,  most  of  the  people  there  were  Christians, 
and  he  was  always  a  peaceful  man  and  thought  it 
was  easier  to  agree  with  them  than  it  was  to  be  in 
an  argument  all  of  the  time.  He  used  to  pass  the 
hat  sometimes  when  they  took  up  a  collection  for 


3o6  RICHARD  VAUGHN 

the  circuit  rider.  He  said  he  noticed  they  all  paid 
well." 

"Yes,"  said  brother  Lemon,  "those  good  old 
Maine  Christians  believed  in  giving.  I  came  from 
Maine  myself." 

"That  is  what  father  said — they  believed  in  giv 
ing;  some  gave  money  and  others  gave  their  expe 
rience." 

"My  dear  man,  the  seeds  of  unbelief  have  been 
sown  in  your  heart.  You  should  pray  to  the  Lord 
to  have  them  rooted  out." 

A  passenger  opposite  who  was  glancing  over  the 
morning  paper,  and  who  evidently  thought  brother 
Lemon  was  getting  the  worst  of  the  deal,  said: 

"Did  you  notice  the  account  of  that  horrible  affair 
at  the  state's  prison  in  the  paper,  brother  Lemon?" 

"No;  I  did  not  read  the  paper  this  morning  other 
than  to  look  at  the  quotations." 

"It  seems,"  continued  the  passenger,  "that  there 
was  an  attempted  outbreak  led  by  the  notorious 
Steve  Blake.  The  prison  guards  prevented  the 
escape  of  the  men,  and  this  man  Blake  was  killed 
by  them.  Here  is  also  an  account  of  Blake's  crime, 
and  as  I  read  it  I  remember  the  affair  well  and  I 
presume  you  do  also.  He  killed  his  own  mother 
and  robbed  her. " 

"Yes,"  said  brother  Lemon,  "I  do  remember  it 
now,  and  I  have  often  wondered  how  the  Lord  could 
ever  have  allowed  such  a  thing  to  happen.  She 
was  apparently  a  good  Christian  woman,  for  she 
died  clasping  a  Bible  in  her  arms.  The  ways  of  the 
Lord  are  past  finding  out,  but  we  know  that  for 
some  reason  the  Lord  chasteneth  whom  He  loveth. 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  307 

I  have  often  thought  of  that  poor  woman  and  won 
dered  what  good  purpose  the  Lord  was  working 
out." 

"Then  according  to  your  theory,"  said  Harley, 
"Steve  Blake  was  an  instrument  in  the  hands  of 
the  Lord  for  doing  some  good.  I  think  I  can  agree 
with  you  that  far,  for  if  there  ever  was  a  woman 
who  needed  killing,  it  was  Steve  Blake's  mother. 
I  happen  to  know  that  she  was  worse  than  the 
murderer." 

"Tut,  tut,  young  man.  You  are  profane  and 
prejudiced.  No  one  could  make  me  believe  that  a 
woman  who  died  clasping  a  well-worn  Bible  to  her 
breast  could  be  anything  but  a  good  woman." 

And  with  that  brother  Lemon  closed  the  conver 
sation. 

The  draw  was  cleared  and  the  car  was  soon  in 
Boston,  dropping  its  living  freight  at  the  different 
sections  of  the  west  end.  Harley  left  the  car  at  the 
point  nearest  Dick's  store,  and  upon  arriving  at  that 
place  found  Dick  in  very  earnest  conversation  with 
Dot  Richards.  He  was  introduced  to  the  young 
lady,  who  was  told  that  she  could  talk  on,  as  Har 
ley  was  one  of  the  family.  She  looked  at  him  with 
a  quizzical  expression,  and  Harley,  seeing  mischief 
in  her  eye,  said : 

"Speak  out,  Miss;  you  were  thinking  that  there 
were  some  members  of  Dick's  family  who  were  not 
any  great  shakes,  I  presume." 

"No;  I  was  just  thinking  that  there  was  no  very 
strong  family  resemblance." 

"Right  you  are,  little  one;  but,  you  see,  dress  is 
the  greatest  part  of  the  difference.  Dick  pays  me 


308  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

a  certain  amount  each  month  to  dress  this  way,  so 
that  he  will  show  up  to  a  better  advantage  when  we 
travel  together.  It  is  a  great  scheme — you  try  it 
some  time;  but  I  wouldn't  advise  you  to  try  the 
plain  clothes  part." 

"I  suppose  by  that  you  think  my  face  alone  would 
not  carry  me  through,  but  we  homely  people  don't 
have  a  chance  to  get  lonesome." 

"That  will  do,"  said  Dick.  "Don't  you  two  get 
to  scrapping;  I  want  you  to  be  friends." 

"Oh,  we  will  be  friends  all  right.  I  happen  to 
know  a  whole  lot  about  Mr.  Harley  Bean,  and  I  am 
glad  to  meet  him.  I  have  heard  that  he  is  awfully 
funny.  Say,  Mr.  Bean,  say  something  funny;  will 
you?  If  you  will,  I  will  let  you  call  me  Dot,  the 
same  as  Dick  does  and  every  one  else  who  knows 
me  real  well." 

Harley  was  amused.  Here  was  a  girl  who  was 
really  refreshing.  She  was  small,  but  well  propor 
tioned,  with  eyes  that  fairly  sparkled  with  amuse 
ment.  Her  face  in  repose  might  perhaps  have  been 
called  rather  plain,  but  this  was  no  drawback  with 
Dot,  for  her  features  were  seldom  still.  She  had 
one  of  these  faces  which,  when  photographed,  never 
look  natural,  because  in  repose  they  lose  their  bril 
liancy. 

"I  don't  think  I  can  say  anything  funny  this 
morning,  Miss  Richards.  The  fact  is,  I  have  just 
heard  of  the  death  of  a  friend." 

"Oh,  Mr.  Bean,  I  am  so  sorry  I  spoke  as  I  did;  I 
am  really.  But  tell  me  about  your  friend  and  I  will 
try  and  make  amends.  What  did  he  die  of?" 

"He  was  shot." 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  309 

"Oh,  how  dreadful!     How  did  it  happen?" 

"Well,  you  see,  he  was  trying  to  break  out  of 
state's  prison,  and  one  of  those  guards  up  and  shot 
him  in  the  back,  and  he  died." 

Harley  was  as  sober  as  a  judge,  and  Dot  was 
puzzled.  She  glanced  at  Dick,  and  finding  that  he 
was  laughing,  she  made  up  her  mind  that  Harley 
was  trying  to  make  fun  of  her,  and  not  wishing  to 
get  the  worst  of  it,  she  said: 

"Tell  me,  how  does  it  happen  that  you  have  a 
friend  in  state's  prison,  or  rather  how  does  he 
happen  to  be  a  friend  of  yours?" 

"He  isn't  now,  he  is  dead;  but  Dick  says  that 
any  one  who  is  willing  to  do  something  for  you  is 
your  friend,  and  this  fellow  brought  me  clear  in 
from  West  Roxbury  one  night  in  a  hack.  The 
funny  part  of  it  was,  he  didn't  know  it." 

"That  was  funny." 

"All  right,  Dot;  shake,"  said  Harley,  extending 
his  hand.  "And  now  tell  me  what  you  have  heard 
about  me,  or  were  you  romancing  a  little?  I  think 
you  must  have  been,  for  you  could  hardly  know  any 
one  who  knows  me  unless  it  is  Mrs.  Frank  Bard- 
well." 

"Guess  again,  Mr.  Funny  Man,  for  you  are  far 
from  right.  As  near  as  I  can  find  out  it  was  your 
intended,  Miss  Julia  Hartley.  She  spent  the  after 
noon  at  our  house  a  short  time  ago,  and  she  talked 
of  nothing  else  but  Mr.  Bean.  She  told  us  all  about 
your  family  and  your  cousin's  family,  and  then  she 
told  how  very  funny  you  were  and  how  you  went 
three  blocks  out  of  your  way  to  make  the  walk 
longer,  and  how  you  made  a  funny  excuse  for  having 


3io  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

done  so  when  she  told  Mr.  Bardwell  about  it.  Oh, 
you  are  funny  all  right;  but,  say,  don't  you  wish 
you  hadn't  tried  to  be  so  funny  with  me?" 

"Does  that  tongue  of  yours  ever  stop,  Dot?" 

"I  thought  you  would  get  enough,  but  I  am  will 
ing  to  cry  quits  if  you  are,  for  I  had  finished  my  talk 
with  Dick  and  am  ready  to  go  home." 

"Don't  go  just  yet,  Dot,"  said  Dick.  "I  want  to 
tell  Harley  all  about  this  and  ask  his  advice. 
Besides  that,  I  want  you  here  when  I  tell  it  to  see  if 
I  understand  the  case  myself." 

Dick  at  once  told  Harley  enough  of  what  had 
transpired  at  the  Richards'  residence  for  him  to 
understand  the  situation,  and  then  asked  him  what 
he  thought  he  would  better  do,  or  if  he  thought 
there  was  anything  that  he  could  do  to  bring  matters 
to  a  crisis. 

"Dick,  the  best  thing  you  can  do  is  to  tell  me  how 
you  want  to  be  advised,  for  if  I  advise  you  according 
to  my  own  ideas  of  what  ought  to  be,  you  will  not 
thank  me  for  it." 

"No,  I  want  your  honest  opinion  in  the  matter, 
for  I  know  you  will  advise  what  you  honestly  think 
is  best." 

"Here  goes,  then.  My  advice  to  you  will  be 
based  on  common  sense.  In  the  first  place,  you 
have  known  Miss  Richards  for  nearly  eight  years. 
She  has  said  that  all  you  ever  told  her  whenever  you 
differed  in  opinion  has  come  true,  and  still  she 
stands  out  against  you.  She  has  made  an  old  man 
out  of  you  before  your  time,  and  now  there  is  not 
only  her  mother  between  you,  but  she  has  gotten  it 
into  her  head  that  she  will  not  be  doing  right 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  311 

towards  you  to  marry  you  as  a  rich  man  when  she 
threw  you  over  while  you  were  poor.  I  told  you 
once  that  she  had  been  weighed  in  the  balance  and 
found  wanting-,  and  I  am  of  the  same  opinion  still. 
Now,  my  advice  to  you  is  this :  pay  no  more  atten 
tion  to  Miss  Mabel,  but  marry  Dot;  she  is  worth  a 
forty-acre  lot  full  of  Mabel's.  There  is  nothing  in 
the  way  of  your  doing  this  except  Dot  herself,  and 
somehow  I  feel  as  though  she  had  sense  enough  to 
accept  you." 

"Thank  you,  Mr.  Harley  Bean,  but  this  is  the 
funniest  thing  you  have  said.  I  prefer  to  choose 
my  own  husband,  and  I  wouldn't  marry  Dick 
Vaughn  any  more  than  I  would  marry  my  father. 
I  have  always  looked  upon  him  as  a  brother,  and  I 
trust  some  day  he  will  be  my  brother.  Why,  I 
would  sooner  marry  almost  anybody  else!  I  believe 
I  would  marry  you  before  I  would  marry  Dick." 

"All  right,  Dot;  if  you  find  you  cannot  do  any 
better,  I  am  agreeable." 

Dot  had  been  very  much  in  earnest  while  talking, 
but  as  the  ludicrous  side  of  the  thing  struck  her  she 
commenced  to  laugh. 

"In  that  case,"  she  said,  "what  would  you  do 
with  Miss  Julia  Hartley?" 

"We  would  engage  her  as  a  mother-in-law.  I 
think  she  would  fill  the  bill  to  a  nicety." 

"I  am  not  exactly  through  with  you  yet,  Mr. 
Bean ;  I  want  to  undeceive  you  in  regard  to  Mabel. 
She  has  always  been  my  mother's  favorite  daughter. 
For  years  mother  has  always  thought  that  she  her 
self  was  an  invalid,  and  although  she  is  a  strong 
and  healthy-looking  woman,  she  has  drilled  it  into 


3i2  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

Mabel  that  a  shock  of  any  kind  would  be  liable  to 
take  her  off  without  a  moment's  warning.  Mabel, 
believing  this,  has  been  a  slave  to  her  mother's 
whims.  Mabel  is  a  noble  girl  and  worth  a  dozen  of 
me  any  time,  and  she  is  never  contented  unless  she 
is  doing  something  to  help  some  more  unfortunate 
creature  to  experience  more  of  the  pleasures  and 
comforts  of  life.  She  went  South  and  came  near 
giving  her  life  to  educate  the  negroes,  and  it  was 
out  of  her  pure  love  for  doing  good.  There  isn't  a 
poor  family  in  Cambridge  but  that  knows  of  her, 
and  she  often  gets  fooled  by  helping  some  unde 
serving  creature;  but  she  only  says,  'They  might 
have  been  needy.'  From  her  infancy  mother  has 
exercised  a  great  power  over  her,  and  if  that  power 
could  be  broken,  Mabel  would  be  twice  the  girl  she 
is  now." 

"I  have  often  wondered,"  said  Harley,  "how  it 
was  that  your  sister  was  allowed  to  go  South  among 
those  negroes  to  teach,  and  I  wonder  at  it  more 
than  ever  now  that  you  tell  me  how  much  control 
her  mother  has  over  her." 

"I  did  not  mean  to  speak  of  that,  but  I  can  tell 
you  and  will,  although  it  may  seem  that  in  so  doing 
I  am  disloyal  to  my  mother.  As  young  as  I  was 
when  Mabel  left  for  the  South,  I  realized  that  the 
only  reason  that  mother  consented  to  her  going  was 
because  it  gave  her  so  much  more  chance  to  make  a 
martyr  of  herself.  When  her  friends  used  to  call 
after  Mabel  had  gone  she  would  tell  of  the  awful 
sacrifice  she  had  made  for  the  sake  of  the  unedu 
cated  hordes  of  the  South,  and  then  she  would  cry 
and  have  such  a  good  time  that  I  was  afraid  some- 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  313 

times  she  would  want  to  send  me  to  China  or  India 
to  help  out  the  missionary  cause,  s_>  that  she  might 
have  a  more  joyful  grief." 

Harley  laughed. 

"No  doubt,  Mr.  Bean,  you  think  you  know  a 
great  deal  of  human  nature;  Dick  thinks  you  are 
smart  and  Julia  thiuks  you  are  funny,  but  if  you  will 
come  over  to  our  house  I  will  introduce  you  to  my 
mother  who  literally  enjoys  poor  health  and  who 
takes  more  comfort  out  of  misfortune  than  you  ever 
did  in  getting  full.  How  funny  you  are  Mr.  Bean!" 


CHAPTER   XXVII 

Less  than  a  week  after  the  events  recorded  in  the 
last  chapter  Harley  Bean  decided  that  he  would 
make  a  call.  He  had  decided  to  call  at  the  Rich 
ards'  residence,  and  this  decision  had  been  arrived 
at  after  mature  deliberation.  Harley  was  one  of 
the  few  men  who  never  asked  any  one's  advice  and 
never  told  any  one  what  he  intended  to  do.  Advice, 
he  contended  could  only  be  given  by  a  person  who 
knew  all  of  the  conditions  and  as  no  one  knew 
all  of  the  conditions  as  well  as  the  man  who  was 
trying  to  decide  what  to  do,  that  was  the  only  man 
competent  to  give  advice. 

Harley  had  arrived  at  this  decision  to  call  at  the 
Richards'  residence  for  several  reasons.  He  had 
decided  that  the  time  had  arrived  when  Dick  ought 
to  marry  or  give  up  thinking  of  Mabel,  and  he 
thought  that  by  seeing  Mabel  he  might  be  able  to 
arrange  a  meeting  between  the  two.  Harley  also 
had  a  strong  desire  to  see  Mrs.  Richards.  This 
desire  had  been  brought  out  by  hearing  Dot  tell  of 
some  of  her  peculiarities.  There  was  one  more 
reason  for  Harley's  visit:  he  was  interested  in  Dot, 
She  was  the  first  woman  he  had  seen  for  years  who 
had  awakened  within  him  a  passing  thought;  but 
Dot  had  certainly  made  a  strong  impression  upon 
him. 

After  he  had  rung  the  door-bell  at  Mr.  Richards' 
house  he  began  to  wonder  for  whom  he  would  ask, 

314 


RICHARD  VAUGHN  315 

as  he  had  forgotten  Dot's  name.  He  could  think  of 
Dot,  but  the  name  Mildred  had  gone  from  him.  A 
servant  answered  the  bell  and  for  once  in  his  life 
Harley  was  confused.  He  managed  to  hand  his 
card  to  the  girl,  and  say: 

"Please  hand  that  to  Miss  Richards — the  young 
est  one." 

"Dot,  is  it?"  said  Maggie.  "Well,  I  wonder!" 
And  she  looked  at  Harley  as  though  she  expected  to 
discover  a  policeman's  star. 

"Step  into  the  parlor  and  I'll  call  her." 

Dot  soon  came  in,  with  wonderment  depicted  on 
every  feature. 

"Good  evening,  Mr.  Bean.  This  is  certainly  a 
surprise.  If  you  have  anything  to  say  to  me  you 
will  have  to  say  it  quick,  for  the  whole  push  will  be 
in  here  in  a  minute  to  find  out  who  could  want  to 
see  me." 

"Don't  you  have  gentlemen  callers?" 

"Not  that  any  one  knows  of.  But  what  did  you 
come  for  anyway?  Is  it  something  about  Dick  and 
Mabel?" 

"Partly,  and  partly  to  see  that  mother  of  yours, 
and  perhaps  as  much  to  see  yourself.  You  see  you 
interested  me  the  other  day,  and  I  thought  I  would 
like  to  see  more  of  you." 

"Anything  serious,  Mr.  Bean?  Haven't  fallen  in 
love  with  me,  have  you?  Because  if  you  have  I 
think  I  will  be  obliged  to  refer  you  to  my  mother." 

"I  thought  you  had  settled  it  that  your  father  was 
the  one  who  was  to  look  after  your  welfare." 

"That's  so,  but  in  your  case  I  think  I  would  refer 
it  to  mother;  it  would  be  so  much  more  fun." 


3i6  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

"All  right;  suit  yourself.  I  would  as  soon  try 
my  luck  with  your  mother  as  any  one.  But  tell  me, 
what  encouragement  is  there  for  Dick?" 

"Not  much,  I  am  thinking.  Mother  has  needed 
constant  attention  ever  since  I  broke  loose,  and 
Mabel  has  had  her  hands  full." 

The  doer  opened  and  Mrs.  Richards  came  in. 
Dot  introduced  her  to  Mr.  Bean,  and  said: 

"I  met  Mr.  Bean  fur  the  first  time  a  few  days  ago, 
and  he  accepted  my  invitation  to  call  and  get 
acquainted  with  my  family." 

Mrs.  Richards  acknowledged  the  introduction  in  a 
very  cool  manner  and  said:  "Bean,  Bean — the  name 
is  familiar,  but  I  do  net  think  I  have  met  you 
before.  Where  did  you  meet  my  daughter  Mil 
dred?" 

"I  met  her  in  Boston  several  days  ago  and  was 
introduced  by  a  mutual  friend,  but  I  have  met  your 
other  daughter  several  times.  This,  however,  was 
a  number  of  years  ago,  before  she  went  South." 

Mr.  Richards  came  in  with  Mabel. 

"This  gentleman  says  he  knows  you,  Mabel,"  said 
Mrs.  Richards. 

Mabel  came  forward  and  shook  hands  with  Har- 
ley,  and  then  there  was  an  awkward  pause.  Mrs. 
Richards  looked  from  one  to  the  other  for  an  expla 
nation.  Dot  was  laughing,  and  Harley,  realizing 
the  peculiar  position  into  which  he  had  gotten  the 
girls,  decided  to  stand  by  his  colors.  Turning  to 
Mrs.  Richards,  he  said : 

"For  eight  years  or  more  I  have  boarded  in  the 
same  house  with  Dick  Vaughn  and  naturally  heard 
a  great  deal  of  Miss  Mabel  and  have  also  met  her 


RICHARD  VAUGHN  317 

several  times  with  him.  Your  younger  daughter  I 
only  met  recently,  and  was  introduced  to  her  by  the 
same  gentleman,  but  knowing  her  older  sister  so 
well  made  me  feel  well  acquainted  with  Miss  Mil 
dred  from  the  first  time  I  met  her." 

"Mabel,"  said  Mrs.  Richards,  "will  you  hand  me 
my  salts?"  Then  turning  to  Harley,  she  said: 
"Did  you  know,  Mr.  Bean,  that  Mr.  Vaughn  had 
been  forbidden  this  house?" 

"I  think  I  have  heard  something  to  that  effect, 
but  if  you  never  have  any  worse  people  about  your 
house  than  Dick  Vaughn,  you  will  not  be  liable  to 
lose  any  spoons." 

"Sir,"  said  Mrs.  Richards,  "I  do  not  approve  of 
slang  any  more  than  I  approve  of  your  friend  Mr. 
Vaughn,  and  I  have  forbidden  his  name  to  be  spoken 
in  this  house.  He  has  made  trouble  enough  in  this 
family  already." 

"Excuse  me,  Mrs.  Richards,  but  Mr.  Vaughn  is  a 
successful  business  man  now  and  has  money  enough 
to  satisfy  any  ordinary  man.  He  has  lots  of  good 
qualities  and  no  bad  ones  that  I  have  ever  found 
out.  Don't  you  think  you  are  a  little  hard  on  him?" 

"Mr.  Bean,  this  is  my  house,  and  if  my  husband 
will  not  protect  me,  I  will  protect  myself.  If  you 
come  here  in  the  interest  cf  Mr.  Vaughn  you  can 
go  now;  if  you  have  any  ether  business  with  us,  let 
us  know  what  it  is." 

"I  am  very  sorry,  Mrs.  R'chards,  if  I  have  said 
anything  that  I  should  not,  and  I  assure  you  I  will 
say  no  more  on  a  subject  that  seems  to  be  painful 
to  you.  I  have  another  matter  of  business  which  I 
wish  to  consult  you  about.  The  fact  is,  I  am  here 


3i8  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

to  ask  your  permission  to  pay  attention  to  your 
youngest  daughter.  I  have  not  consulted  her  about 
it  yet,  preferring  to  wait  and  secure  your  permission 
first.  If  you  will  give  your  consent,  I  will  do  my 
best  to  interest  her  in  my  suit,  and  hope  for  an  early 
marriage." 

Mrs.  Richards  was  purple  with  rage.  As  soon  as 
she  could  control  herself  enough  to  speak,  she  said: 

"Charles  Richards,  will  you  drive  that  man  out 
of  the  house?  Will  you?  Oh,  I  wish  I  were  a 
man!" 

Without  paying  any  attention  to  what  Mrs.  Rich 
ards  had  said,  Harley  got  up  and  said:  "I  see  you 
will  need  time  to  think  this  over,  so  I  will  leave 
you,  trusting  you  will  decide  in  my  favor." 

He  passed  out  into  the  hall,  and  Dot,  almost 
bursting  with  laughter,  started  to  follow  him. 

"Mildred,  come  back!"  almost  screamed  her 
mother,  as  she  followed  her  to  the  hall  door. 

Harley  opened  the  outer  door,  and  as  Mrs.  Rich 
ards  got  to  the  hall,  she  heard  Harley  say,  "Good 
night,  Dot;"  and  the  answer  was,  "Good-night, 
Harley." 

Mrs.  Richards  came  back  into  the  parlor  wring 
ing  her  hands. 

"Oh,  that  I  should  ever  live  to  see  this  day!  My 
youngest  daughter  in  danger,  and  not  one  of  you 
make  a  move  to  save  her!  I  remember  that  man 
now;  I  know  all  about  him.  He  is  a  drunken  sot, 
and  he  left  his  wife  and  her  father  was  obliged  to 
take  care  of  her.  Oh,  dear!  oh,  dear!  Mildred! 
Mildred!  I  positively  forbid  you  ever  to  speak  to 
that  man  again.  Come,  Mabel,  take  me  to  my 


RICHARD  VAUGHN  319 

room.  Oh,  what  have  I  done  that  the  good  Lord 
sends  these  afflictions  upon  me." 

Taking  Mabel's  arm,  Mrs.  Richards  left  the  room, 
and  Dot,  who  had  been  trying  to  keep  a  straight 
face,  threw  herself  on  the  couch  and  screamed  with 
laughter. 

"Come,  little  one,"  said  Mr.  Richards  "stop  yonr 
screeching  and  tell  me  what  this  all  means.  I  think 
I  know,  but  I  would  like  to  have  your  version  of  it." 

Dot  sat  up,  and  as  soon  as  she  could  stop  laugh 
ing,  said:  "My  dear  old  Pop,  I  don't  know  a  thing 
more  than  you  do.  I  never  saw  Mr.  Bean  but  once 
in  my  life  to  know  him,  and  I  did  not  have  the  least 
idea  that  he  was  coming  here  and  I  don't  know 
what  he  came  for,  but  I  can  guess ;  I  think  he  came 
in  the  interest  of  Dick  Vaughn,  but  I  don't  think 
Dick  knows  anything  about  it." 

"That  is  my  idea  exactly,  Dot.  Perhaps  I  ought 
not  to  feel  so,  but  I  never  wanted  to  laugh  so  in  my 
life  as  I  did  when  I  heard  that  man  talk." 

"Did  you  ever  hear  of  him  before?" 

"Yes;  I  have  known  of  him  for  years.  He  is  one 
of  the  brightest  newspaper  men  in  Boston.  He 
used  to  drink  some,  and  I  think  mother  is  right 
about  his  wife's  leaving  him,  but  he  has  managed  to 
scrape  together  considerable  money,  and  has  some 
very  fine  traits  of  character.  He  is  a  quick-witted 
fellow,  and  the  man  who  crosses  swords  with  him  in 
that  line  is  apt  to  get  the  worst  of  it." 

"Say,  Pop,  I  want  you  to  answer  me  one  ques 
tion,  honestly;  will  you?" 

"Why,  certainly,  Dot.     What  is  it?" 

"If  I  were  to  marry  either  Sammy  Huggins,  John 


320  RICHARD  VAUGHN 

Lemon  cr  Harley  Bean>,  which  would  you  rather  it 
would  be?" 

"I  never  thought  much  about  your  getting  mar 
ried,  Dot,  and  I  believe  you  could  do  better  than 
any  of  the  three,  but  if  you  had  to  choose  among 
those  three,  I  would  say  take  Mr.  Bean.  However, 
when  the  time  comes  you  will  not  need  to  be  told, 
and  I  only  hope  that  when  you  fall  in  love  with 
some  one,  it  will  be  one  who  is  worthy  of  you  and 
one  who  understands  you." 

"Did  you  marry  for  love?" 

"Yes,  Dot,  and  your  mother  was  a  most  lovable 
woman.  You  must  not  judge  her  as  she  is  now; 
your  mother  is  not  well  and  has  not  been  for  years. 
I  think  you  can  remember  when  she  was  different, 
can't  you?" 

"Yes,  I  do  remember;  but  I  was  thinking  of 
something  else  then." 

"What  was  it,  dear?" 

"I  was  thinking  that  if  I  ever  married  I  hoped  I 
might  find  in  my  husband  another  just  such  a  good, 
kind,  considerate  man  as  my  mother  did." 

Dot  saw  no  more  of  her  mother  that  night,  but 
the  next  morning  the  family  all  gathered  around  the 
breakfast  table.  Mr.  Richards'  business  compelled 
him  to  be  in  Boston  early,  but  his  wife  had  long 
before  made  it  a  rule  that  the  family  should  all 
breakfast  with  him.  She  did  not  think  it  right  to 
miss  family  prayers  in  the  morning;  neither  did  she 
think  it  was  right  for  him  not  to  see  his  family 
before  going  out  to  work  for  them  all  day.  Sick 
ness  sometimes  kept  one  of  the  family  away  from 
the  early  breakfast,  but  not  often.  The  girls  loved 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  321 

their  father  and  wanted  to  see  him,  and  the  mother 
usually  felt  mere  cheerful  in  the  morning.  Sleep — 
the  great  restorer — usually  came  to  her  rescue  every 
night,  although  she  was  very  often  heard  to  say 
that  she  hadn't  slept  a  wink  all  night.  No  one  dis 
puted  her,  but  either  her  husband  or  her  oldest 
daughter  was  always  ready  with  the  sympathy 
which  she  loved  so  much. 

On  this  particular  morning  Mrs.  Richards  said  she 
had  passed  one  of  her  bad  nights. 

"I  don't  think  I  closed  my  eyes  to  sleep  the  whole 
long  night,"  she  announced,  as  she  took  her  seat  at 
the  table,  after  the  morning  devotions. 

"I  was  afraid  you  would  not  sleep,  mother,"  said 
Mabel,  "but  you  look  better  than  usual  this  morn 
ing.  Lying  still  all  night  must  do  you  some  good, 
although  it  is  not  equal  to  sleep." 

"And  just  think  what  I  was  obliged  to  worry  over 
all  night.  That  miserable,  drunken  newspaper 
reporter!  How  dared  he  come  to  my  house!  Dot, 
what  will  you  do  next,  I  wonder?" 

"Don't  work  yourself  up  that  way,  mother- 
Dot  knew  nothing  of  his  visit  and  is  not  at  all  to 
blame,"  said  Mr.  Richards.  "If  the  young  man 
wanted  to  call  here,  no  one  could  help  it." 

"By  the  way,  he  asked  you  both  if  he  might  call 
upon  me,  and  I  presume  he  will  come  for  his 
answer.  Can  you  tell  me  what  it  is  to  be?" 

"I  would  give  him  my  answer  in  a  minute,"  said 
Mrs.  Richards.  "I  would  scald  him,  that  is  what  I 
would  do;  and  I  wouldn't  be  long  about  it,  either." 

Mabel  seemed  brighter  than  she  had  been  for 
weeks,  and  for  the  first  time  in  her  life  seemed  to 


322  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

understand  her  family,  but  she  did  not  like  to  see 
her  mother  get  excited  over  the  matter,  and  so  said: 

"I  was  noticing  in  the  paper  this  morning  that 
Mr.  Downing  has  bought  a  house  in  Washington. 
I  suppose  by  that  he  proposes  to  stay  there  even 
after  his  term  in  Congress  is  out.  I  expect  Mrs. 
Downing  is  happy  now,  for  she  is  so  in  love  with 
Wasnington  and  Washington  society." 

""Washington!  Washington!  How  I  love  that 
name!  I  knew  years  ago  that  George  Downing 
would  go  to  Congress.  Didn't  I  tell  you  so, 
Charles?" 

"I  guess  you  did,  mother." 

"You  know  I  did,  Charles;  you  know  I  did." 

Mr.  Richards,  having  finished  his  breakfast, 
excused  himself  and  left  the  table  and  the  house 
also.  But  Mrs.  Richards  was  started  on  an  inter 
esting  subject  to  herself,  and  she  settled  herself 
anew  in  her  chair,  fixed  another  cup  of  coffee  and 
began : 

"I  don't  think  your  father  likes  to  have  me  talk 
of  George  Downing,  although  he  never  says  a  thing 
against  it;  but  the  fact  is,  girls,  I  came  very  near 
marrying  George  Downing.  If  it  had  not  been  for 
my  father  and  mother  I  think  I  should  have  mar 
ried  him,  but  he  was  considered  rather  wild  in  those 
days  and  my  people  persuaded  me  to  give  him  up. 
Then  your  father  began  paying  attention  to  me  and 
George  was  for  the  time  forgotten.  I  don't  think 
there  was  anything  so  very  bad  about  George,  only 
he  drank  some  and  was  not  a  Christian,  and  you 
know  my  people  were  very  strict.  I  remember  how 
George  used  to  talk  to  me  about  being  a  politician, 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  323 

and  how  I  used  to  tell  him  I  did  not  think  that  a 
very  high  ambition,  but  I  never  dreamed  he  had 
such  high  aspirations.  I  have  often  wished  your 
father  had  put  himself  forward  in  politics.  It  is 
such  a  grand  thing  to  have  people  look  up  to  you 
so!  Of  course  I  don't  mean  the  politician  of  the 
city  ward  order,  but  just  think  how  grand  it  would 
be  if  we  were  going  to  spend  this  winter  in  Wash 
ington  as  the  Downings  are!" 

"But  Mr.  Downing  did  not  commence  his  politics 
in  Congress,  mother,"  said  Dot. 

"No,  of  course  not.  He  held  some  city  office 
here  and  was  on  the  Governor's  staff." 

"Never  mind,  mother;  perhaps  Mabel  or  I  will 
marry  a  congressman,  and  then  you  can  go  to 
Washington  and  be  in  the  swim  with  the  rest  of 
them.  Didn't  Mr.  Downing  used  to  write  for  the 
papers?" 

"Yes,  I  think  he  did  at  one  time;  in  fact,  I  think 
he  went  from  the  newspaper  business  into  politics." 

"Then  perhaps  I  had  better  hang  on  to  Mr.  Bean. 
He  has  two  of  the  requirements  that  Mr.  Downing 
seemed  to  think  necessary  to  start  out  with." 

"What  are  they,  pray?" 

"He  is  a  newspaper  man  and  he  drinks. " 

"Dot,  will  you  make  fun  of  everything  I  say?  I 
do  think  you  ought  to  have  some  consideration  for 
me.  Your  father  has  completely  spoiled  you  by 
laughing  at  what  he  considers  your  bright  remarks. 
I  think  they  are  disrespectful.  If  your  father  were 
a  congressman  instead  of  a  dealer  in  fruits  and 
produce,  such  men  as  your  would-be  admirer  would 
not  dare  to  call  at  our  house. ' ' 


324  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

*'I  don't  mean  to  be  disrespectful,  mother,  but 
you  do  have  such  pokey  people  come  to  see  you  and 
you  all  talk  about  your  aches  and  pains  until  I  f3el 
as  though  I  would  like  to  do  something  devilish." 

"Oh,  Mildred,  Mildred!  Don't  ever  say  that 
wcrd  again." 

The  door-bell  rang  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  John  Lemon 
was  ushered  in.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Lemon  was  a  priv 
ileged  character  at  the  home  of  the  Richards'.  He 
was  the  same  age  as  Mabel,  and  they  had  grown  up 
together.  Since  he  had  become  a  reverend  Mabel 
had  lost  some  of  her  old-time  carelessness  when 
speaking  to  him,  but  Dot  was  different. 

"I  called,"  said  the  young  minister,  "to  see  if 
Miss  Mildred  would  not  like  to  attend  the  Young 
People's  Missionary  meeting  in  Boston  this  after 
noon." 

"Can't,  John,"  said  Dot.  "Mother  says  I  am 
disrespectful,  and  I  am  going  to  hunt  up  a  politician 
and  get  married  right  away." 

"Wouldn't  I  do,  Dot?" 

"Net  much,  John.     You  don't  even  drink." 

"Oh,  Mildred,  Mildred!"  said  Mrs.  Richards. 
"What  are  you  coming  to?" 


CHAPTER   XXVIII 

The  day  after  Harley's  visit  to  the  Richards  he 
found  beside  his  plate  at  the  supper  table  a  very 
dainty  little  note.  He  opened  it  and  read: 

My  dear  Mr.  Bean:  A  bright  idea  has  entered 
my  head  and  I  am  anxious  to  convey  it  to  you,  not 
that  I  think  you  are  particularly  in  need  of  bright 
ideas,  but  this  particular  one  may  interest  you. 
Now,  I  cannot  write  you  to  call  at  the  house  on 
account  of  the  special  kettles  of  hot  water  that 
mother  has  in  readiness  for  an  anticipated  visit  from 
you,  so  I  am  going  to  propose  a  very  unladylike 
proceeding.  I  have  a  standing  invitation  from  Mrs. 
Frank  Bard  well  to  go  out  to  her  house  and  spend 
the  afternoon,  and  I  am  going  out  to-morrow.  If 
you  can  meet  me  there,  the  idea  shall  be  yours,  and 
if  it  is  so  that  you  cannot  come  in  the  afternoon,  I 
will  manage  to  stay  in  the  evening,  and  if  that 
should  not  answer  the  purpose,  I  will  stay  all  night 
and  be  there  the  next  forenoon.  This  is  giving  you 
three  chances,  and  for  Dick's  sake  you  will  not  miss 
them  all,  I  am  sure.  I  will  not  sign  myself  your 
friend,  but  a  sister  of  your  friend's  friend,  though 
don't  mention  this  to  your  friend.  "Dox." 

"Well,  well,"  said  Harley  to  himself,  "that  girl 
is  no  one's  fool.  She  has  a  good  bit  more  to  her 
than  is  on  the  surface.  Her  idea  is  something  in  the 
interest  of  Dick  and  Mabel — that  is  plain  to  be  seen, 
and  I  would  bet  the  price  of  a  good  hat  that  her  idea 

325 


326  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

is  a  good  one.  Any  man  who  marries  her  will  get 
a  good  'dot,'  even  if  her  father  should  die  in  the 
poor-house.  Will  I  be  there?  Well,  I  guess  yes, 
even  if  I  have  to  walk." 

The  next  evening  found  Harley  ringing  the  bell 
at  Frank  Bardwell's.  The  family  had  just  finished 
their  supper,  and  every  one  was  surprised  to  see 
Harley.  Dot  was  introduced,  and  for  a  few 
moments  she  carried  out  the  idea  that  this  was  the 
first  time  they  had  met.  She  could  not  stand  the 
strain  long,  however,  and  as  soon  as  the  children 
were  taken  away  to  bed,  she  said : 

"Please  don't  judge  me  too  harshly,  Olive,  until 
you  hear  all  I  have  to  say.  I  have  met  Mr.  Bean 
before,  and  I  came  here  this  afternoon  on  purpose 
to  meet  him.  What  I  have  to  say  to  him  I  want 
both  you  and  your  husband  to  hear,  for  it  is  about 
Dick  and  Mabel,  and  I  know  you  are  both  inter 
ested." 

With  this  introduction  she  told  her  story  and  laid 
her  plan  before  them.  No  one  interrupted  her,  and 
when  she  had  finished  Harley  unconsciously  took  a 
cigar  from  his  pocket  lit  it  and  smoked  for  ten  min 
utes  without  speaking.  Every  eye  was  upon  him, 
and  at  last  he  said: 

"Your  idea  is  a  good  one,  Dot,  and  I  can  carry 
out  my  part  of  it,  and  will. ' ' 

"Thank  you,  Mr.  Bean.  I  knew  you  would  do 
your  part,  and  I  am  relieved  to  know  that  you  think 
an  idea  of  mine  is  worthy  of  consideration." 

"Do  you  know,"  said  Frank,  "I  have  always 
thought  that  there  was  some  kind  of  an  understand 
ing  between  Dick  and  Mabel.  Dick  never  seems  to 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  327 

worry,  and  was  never  known  to  blame  Mabel  in  the 
least  for  allowing  her  mother  to  stand  between 
them.  He  never  goes  into  society  and  never  tells 
his  troubles  to  any  one." 

"I  have  thought  that  same  thing  about  Mabel," 
said  Dot,  "but  I  cannot  understand  it,  and  if  there 
is  an  understanding  it  must  be  an  everlasting  one. 
I  don't  think  an  understanding  of  any  kind  would 
suit  me,  if  there  was  seme  one  I  was  expecting  to 
marry  and  it  was  put  off  for  an  indefinite  time." 

"No,  nor  would  it  suit  Frank.  He  would  get 
married  first  and  do  the  waiting  afterwards.  I  have 
had  a  little  experience  with  him.  What  have  you 
to  say,  Frank?" 

"We  have  been  married  several  years  now,  and  I 
have  never  heard  you  find  any  fault  with  my  plan." 

"I  guess  that  is  so,  sweetheart." 

"Hold  on  there,  hold  on,"  said  Harley.  "Don't 
get  spoony  or  you  will  shock  Dot  and  me;  we  are 
not  used  to  it.  Say,  Dot,"  continued  Harley,  "that 
idea  of  yours  is  a  good  one,  but  I  came  near  having 
to  have  the  Old  South  Church  fall  on  me  before  I 
got  the  possibilities  of  the  thing  through  my  head. 
Now  it  seems  as  plain  as  daylight.  You  will  hear 
something  drop  in  about  two  days,  if  I  am  any 
judge,  and  when  you  do  you  want  to  get  the  crowd 
into  the  band-wagon  right  away.  Do  you  catch  on?" 

"Do  I  catch  on?  I  believe  that  must  be  slang, 
Mr.  Bean,  and  I  am  not  supposed  to  know  what  it 
means,  and  most  likely  would  not  know  if  I  were  as 
long  'catching  on'  as  you  were." 

"That's  good,  Dot;  you  are  learning  fast.  Your 
mother  will  be  proud  of  you  in  time." 


328  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

A  servant  came  in  and  announced  Miss  Julia 
Hartley. 

"Show  her  in,"  said  Mrs.  Bard  well,  and  Dot 
actually  clapped  her  hands  in  anticipation. 

"I  did  not  know  you  had  company,  Mrs.  Bard- 
well.  Why,  Dot!  you  here?  and  you  too,  Mr. 
Bean?  What  a  very  pleasant  surprise!" 

Then  she  hesitated  and  looked  from  one  to  the 
other. 

"No,  you  are  wrong-,"  said  Dot,  shaking-  her 
head.  "We  did  not  come  together;  we  met  by 
chance.  We  were  thrown  together,  as  it  were,  by 
fate,  and  then  fate  sent  you  in  to  make  good 
measure." 

"Oh,  Dot,  you  are  such  a  strange  girl!  You  talk 
in  riddles,  and  sometimes  I  think  there  is  a  hidden 
meaning  in  all  you  say,  especially  now  when  you 
say  we  are  thrown  together  by  fate.  Do  you  know, 
I  believe  in  fate;  that  is  to  say,  I  believe  there  is  an 
overruling  power  that  makes  our  paths  clear  before 
us,  and  if  we  accept  the  decrees  of  fate,  we  are 
more  in  line  with  what  our  Heavenly  Father  wants 
us  to  do." 

"That  is  a  very  plain  proposition,  Miss  Hartley," 
said  Harley,  "but  if  the  hand  of  fate  and  circum 
stances  points  to  two  paths,  which  are  you  going  to 
take?" 

"In  my  case  that  would  have  to  be  settled  by 
earnest  prayer." 

"That  is  a  pretty  sentiment,  but  after  you  got 
through  praying  you  would  be  obliged  to  get  up  off 
your  knees  and  decide  for  yourself.  Don't  you 
think  it  is  much  better  to  leave  those  things  to  your 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  329 

own  reasoning?  For  that  certainly  is  a  God-given 
power." 

"You  may  be  right,  Mr.  Bean;  you  certainly  talk 
very  reasonably,  although  I  know  I  am  helped  by 
prayer.  But  are  you  in  any  particular  quandary  at 
this  time?" 

"Yes,  I  am,  and  the  case  is  like  this:  I  have  an 
acquaintance  who  is  also  a  newspaper  man,  and  he 
is  in  this  kind  of  a  fix:  he  is  acquainted  with  two 
young  ladies;  one  of  them  is  bright,  vivacious,  full 
of  fun  and  the  pet  of  every  one;  the  other  is  older, 
more  or  less  set  in  her  ways,  is  equally  as  good- 
luoking  as  the  other;  in  fact  she  is  a  sort  of  plow- 
horse — will  work  single  all  right  and  has  an  idea 
that  she  can  woik  double  just  as  well.  Now,  this 
fellow  wants  my  advice,  and  I  don't  know  what  to 
tell  him.  What  would  you  say,  Miss  Hartley?" 

"I  should  say  that  he  had  better  marry  a  woman 
whom  he  could  have  all  to  himself,  rather  than  a 
chit  of  a  girl  whom  every  cne  was  petting  and  spoil 
ing.  Life  is  a  serious  matter,  Mr.  Bean,  and  if  one 
is  to  marry,  he  should  choose  some  one  who  would 
be  a  helpmate.  Would  you  want  to  bring  your 
friends  to  your  home  and  find  there  a  young  person 
full  of  school-girl  ideas,  or  would  you  prefer  to 
introduce  them  to  some  self-possessed  woman, 
capable  cf  presiding  over  your  household  with 
refined  dignity?" 

"You  make  a  good  case,  Miss  Hartley.  What  do 
you  say,  Frank?" 

"I  would  throw  them  both  over  and  stick  to  Olive 
and  the  children." 

"Well  said,   Mr.    Bard  well.     Mr.   Bean  seems  to 


330  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

think  there  are  only  these  two  people  on  earth.  I 
am  glad  you  reminded  him  differently.  What 
advice  would  you  give,  Olive?" 

<CI  don't  think  I  would  give  any  one  advice  in  such 
a  matter.  A  man  should  know  what  he  wants." 

"You  are  right,  also,  but  as  Mr.  Bean  requested 
me,  I  felt  in  duty  bound  to  give  some  kind  of 
advice.  And  now  how  about  you,  Miss  Dot?" 

"I  am  just  betting  two  to  one  that  the  younger 
girl  would  not  have  him  anyway.  The  best  thing 
he  can  do  is  to  marry  the  plowhorse — if  she  will 
have  him — and  put  his  harness  on  at  once.  He  will 
need  to  get  on  the  off  side,  for  a  man  with  no  mind 
of  his  own  will  naturally  soon  sink  into  the  furrow 
out  of  sight.  What  he  had  better  do  would  be  to 
write  a  book  on  courtship.  That  is  what  people 
generally  do  when  they  get  puzzled  on  a  subject." 

"I  wonder,  Miss  Dot,  if  you  know  how  squarely 
you  have  hit  the  mark  about  people  writing  books 
on  a  subject  of  which  they  know  nothing.  I  read  a 
book  of  adventures  in  Africa  a  long  time  ago,  and 
I  afterwards  found  out  that  the  young  man  who 
wrote  it  had  never  been  outside  of  Massachusetts  at 
the  time  he  wrote  the  book.  The  book  had  quite  a 
sale,  and  gave  him  some  money  with  which  to 
travel.  He  had  been  a  great  reader  of  books  of 
travel  and  adventure  and  it  was  from  them  that  he 
had  received  his  information." 

"I  think  that  was  decidedly  dishonest,"  said  Miss 
Hartley;  "don't  you,  Mr.  Bean?" 

"I  think  I  could  hardly  agree  with  you  on  that 
subject.  The  fact  is,  there  are  very  few  travelers 
who  are  good  writers.  They  may  get  all  the  facts 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  331 

down,  but  they  are  not  down  in  such  a  way  as  to 
make  good  smooth  reading.  Some  of  our  best 
books  and  some  of  the  most  interesting  ones  have 
been  written  by  men  who  have  traveled  very 
little." 

"How  very  interesting  that  all  is,  Mr.  Bean.'" 
said  Miss  Hartley.  "I  had  never  thought  of  it  in 
that  way  before.  I  heard  you  say  once,  Mr.  Bean, 
that  you  did  not  care  much  to  go  into  society,  but 
you  ought  to;  you  are  very  entertaining.  Don't 
you  think  so,  Dot?" 

"Oh,  I  don't  know.  He  had  to  say  something, 
you  know,  to  turn  the  conversation  away  from  his 
friend,  whom  we  managed  to  score  rather  badly. 
Besides,  that  stuff  he  has  been  telling  you  has  all 
been  printed." 

"Why,  Dot  Richards !     How  can  you  be  so  rude ! ' ' 

"All  right;  I  will  leave  it  to  him.  Now  tell  us, 
Mr.  Bean,  hasn't  that  stuff  all  been  in  print?" 

"I  will  be  obliged  to  own  that  it  has,  Miss  Dot." 

"You  see,  Miss  Julia,"  said  Dot,  "you  don't  know 
writers  and  their  ways  as  well  as  I  do.  That  is 
proven  by  what  has  just  transpired.  I  read  that 
stuff  and  a  lot  more  on  the  same  line  in  a  New  York 
magazine,  and  I  have  the  book  in  my  room  now. 
The  article  was  signed  'Progress,'  and  'Progress,'  I 
would  have  you  know,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  is  the 
name  that  Mr.  Harley  Bean  writes  under  when  he 
writes  magazine  articles.  Now  who  says  I  am  not 
a  generous  foe?" 

Harley  Bean  was  beaten.  He  did  not  care  a  snap 
when  he  was  picked  up  for  telling  a  thing  that  he 
probably  read,  and  having  it  appear  that  way,  but  to 


332  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

think  that  Dot  had  a  chance  to  score  him  before 
Julia  and  the  rest,  and  instead,  turned  the  tables  on 
him  and  made  him  appear  in  the  best  possible  man 
ner!  It  fairly  made  him  blush! 

Frank,  who  knew  him  best  of  all,  fairly  shouted. 
When  quiet  was  restored  he  asked  Dot  why  she  did 
not  score  him,  and  she  replied: 

"I  did  intend  to,  but  he  did  not  give  me  the 
chance  I  wanted.  I  knew  he  wrote  that  article,  and 
when  I  said  what  I  did  I  supposed  he  would  claim 
to  be  the  author  of  it.  Knowing  that  he  could  net 
prove  it,  I  intended  to  score  him  good,  but  when  he 
did  not  claim  it,  the  fun  was  all  gone." 

"You  are  a  strange  girl,  Dot,"  said  Julia.  "I  am 
sure  I  could  not  deliberately  hurt  the  feelings  of 
any  one.  After  all,  Mr.  Bean  is  something  of  a 
tease  himself,  as  I  have  occasion  to  remember.  The 
last  time  I  was  here  with  him  we  walked  up  from 
his  cousin's,  and  he  made  Mr.  Bard  well  go  back 
with  us  on  some  pretext,  and  when  we  got  there  he 
said  that  the  only  reason  he  wanted  him  to  go  was 
that  he  was  afraid  the  minister  down  here  would 
marry  us  while  we  were  going  by.  Wasn't  he 
funny?" 

'That  was  funny,"  said  Dot.     "Were  you  afraid 
too,  Miss  Julia?" 

"Not  at  all."  Then,  as  Frank  laughed,  she 
added,  "I  really  did  not  think  of  it." 

The  second  morning  after  the  visit  of  Dot  and 
Harley  to  Frank  Bard  well's  there  appeared  in  one 
of  the  morning  papers  something  of  interest  to  them 
all.  The  Richards  were  at  breakfast  and  Mr.  Rich 
ards,  as  usual,  was  glancing  over  the  morning 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  333 

A11  of  a  sudden  his  eye  caught  something 
that  interested  him. 

"Well!  well!  That's  strange,"  he  was  heard  to 
say, 

Dot  was  watching  him  and  at  once  asked  what  he 
had  found 

"Oh,  nothing;  only  a  little  political  news."' 

"Read  it,"  said  Dot.  ""lam  interested  in  poli 
tics." 

"Yes,  read  it,  Charles,"  said  Mrs.  Richards,  "if  it 
concerns  the  higher  order  of  politics.  I  like  to  hear 
of  people  who  make  a  success  in  life  other  than  in 
trade." 

"Very  well,  as  long  as  you  request  it.  This  is 
what  I  noticed : 

"  '  A  new  ticket  in  the  field,  in  the  interest  of  bet 
ter  government,  and  to  get  some  of  our  prominent 
business  men  interested  in  a  movement  for  the 
better  government  of  our  city.  A  petition  has  been 
circulated  and  signed  by  several  hundred  of  our 
most  prominent  business  men  requesting  Mr.  Rich 
ard  Vaughn  to  allow  his  name  to  be  used  as  a  candi 
date  for  mayor  on  an  independent  ticket.  Mr. 
Vaughn  is  one  of  our  most  successful  business  men, 
being  at  present  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  largest 
furniture  establishments  in  the  city.  He  has 
proved  himself  to  be  a  man  of  splendid  business 
ability,  and  should  he  enter  politics  with  the  same 
push  and  energy  that  he  has  put  into  business,  it 
is  doubtful  if  he  would  stop  until  he  had  reached  the 
top.  He  is  thoroughly  wedded  to  his  business,  and 
he  has  not  as  yet  consented  to  have  his  name  used. 
It  is  thought,  however,  that  influence  enough  can  be 


334  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

brought  to  bear  to  induce  him  to  do  this  much  for 
the  city.  This  paper  indorses  him  heartily.'  ' 

As  Mr.  Richards  finished  reading,  the  faces  about 
the  table  were  a  study.  Dot's  face  showed  genuine 
surprise — Harley  had  gone  so  much  further  than 
she  expected.  Mabel's  face  showed  anxiety,  as 
though  every  step  of  advancement  Dick  made  were 
taking  him  farther  away  from  her.  Mr.  Richards 
quietly  turned  to  his  breakfast  and  said  nothing. 
The  one  who  seemed  the  most  concerned  was 
Mrs.  Richards,  who,  for  some  reason,  was  visibly 
affected. 

The  breakfast  was  soon  over,  and  Mr.  Richards 
had  gone.  Usually  the  family  spent  a  few  moments 
at  the  table  after  Mr.  Richards  left,  but  this  morn 
ing,  by  seeming  mutual  consent,  they  all  left  the 
table  at  once,  and  each  of  the  ladies  sought  her,own 
room. 

It  was  not  long  before  Dot  was  summoned  to  her 
mother's  room.  This  was  what  she  was  waiting  for 
and  expecting.  As  Dot  came  into  the  room  she 
noticed  that  her  mother  had  been  crying. 

"Why,  mother;  what  is  the  matter?  Are  you 
sick  again?" 

"No,  dear,  I  am  not  sick,  but  I  want  to  talk  to 
you  seriously.  I  fear  I  have  a  painful  duty  to  per 
form,  and  I  want  your  assistance.  Can  I  have  it, 
Mildred?" 

"You  certainly  can,  mother;  but  tell  me  quick 
what  it  is. ' ' 

"Did  you  notice  how  Mabel  looked  when  your 
father  was  reading  about  Mr.  Vaughn  this  morning 
at  breakfast?" 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  335 

"I  don't  think  I  noticed  anything  unusual, 
mother." 

"Possibly  not,  my  daughter;  I  could  not  expect  it 
of  you.  It  takes  a  mother's  eye  and  a  mother's 
love  to  know  what  is  going  on  in  the  heart  of  her 
daughter.  I  saw  it  and  I  know  it.  Something 
must  be  done  at  once  or  Mabel  will  go  into  a 
decline." 

"But,  mother,  tell  me  what  you  mean;  I  am  all 
in  the  dark." 

"Listen,  Mildred.  For  years  Mabel  has  loved 
Mr.  Vaughn.  I  have  thought  she  would  get  over  it, 
but  I  have  decided  now  that  in  order  to  save  her 
mind  I  must  bring  them  together  again,  and  it  is 
for  this  I  have  asked  your  assistance.  Can  I  depend 
on  you?" 

"If  you  think  it  best,  mother." 


CHAPTER   XXIX 

"Mildred,  when  your  mother  has  decided  on  a 
thing,  you  may  be  sure  it  is  for  the  best,  and  this 
time  I  have  decided  after  months  of  prayerful 
thought." 

"Well,  mother,  we  must  act  quickly  if  we  do  any 
thing  now,  and  perhaps  we  had  better  wait  until 
after  this  political  business  is  over;  he  will  be  so 
very  busy  now." 

"No,  no,  child,  if  you  are  going  to  help  me  you 
must  not  mention  waiting  a  moment." 

"All  right,  mother,  we  will  go  to  work  at  once, 
but  let  me  make  a  suggestion:  don't  say  a  thing  to 
any  one  about  this  petition  or  Mr.  Vaughn's  going 
into  politics,  as  some  one  might  say  that  we 
relented  only  when  we  realized  that  Dick  was 
beginning  to  get  up  in  the  world." 

"You  are  right,  Mildred;  I  had  not  thought  of 
that,  and  I  am  proud  of  you  when  I  think  how  you 
have  come  to  the  front  and  are  ready  to  help  me." 

"Oh,  I  like  a  little  fun,  mother,  but  when  I  know 
you  need  me,  I  can  be  as  businesslike  as  any  one. 
What  is  your  plan?" 

"Really,  Mildred,  when  I  think  of  a  plan  I  trem 
ble.  I  hardly  know  what  to  do.  What  would  you 
advise?  Shall  we  go  at  once  to  Mr.  Vaughn  and 
tell  him  that  we  have  withdrawn  our  objections  to 
him?" 

"No,  mother,   that  would  not  do  at  all,  and  I 
336 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  337 

hardly  know  what  to  advise.  Let  me  see.  Oh!  I 
know!  What  we  need  is  a  man  to  assist  us.  Let 
us  go  and  get  father  and  get  him  to  go  with  us." 

"No,  daughter,  that  would  never  do;  I  don't 
want  to  bring  your  father  into  it;  besides,  I  don't 
think  he  would  go.  No,  we  must  go  alone." 

"But  that  would  never  do,  mother;  we  must 
have  the  advice  of  some  man.  I  know  what  we  can 
do  and  I  wonder  why  I  did  not  think  of  it  before. 
We  can  get  Mr.  Bean  to  assist  us.  He  would  do 
anything  for  Dick  and  perhaps  he  would  do  some 
thing  for  my  sake." 

"Mildred,  Mildred,  I  cannot  bear  that  man;  I 
could  not  ask  him  a  favor." 

"But,  mother,  you  need  not  ask  him  anything.  I 
will  do  the  asking,  and  I  feel  sure  he  will  help  us. 
We  must  not  let  a  little  pride  stand  in  the  way  of 
sister  Mabel's  happiness." 

"You  are  right,  daughter,  but  where  can  we  find 
him?" 

"We  can  find  him  easily  enough;  he  does  not  go 
to  work  early,  and  if  we  go  quickly  we  can  find  him 
at  his  boarding-place  on  Chamber  street." 

"Oh,  Mildred,  it  is  certainly  humiliating,  but  for 
Mabel's  sake  it  must  be  done." 

An  hour  later  the  two  ladies,  mother  and 
daughter,  rang  the  bell  at  Mrs,  Sargent's. 

Yes;  Mr.  Bean  was  home.  Would  the  ladies 
walk  up  into  the  parlor  and  wait? 

It  was  not  long  before  Harley  was  in  the  parlor 
to  meet  his  callers. 

"Why,  Dot!  What  a  surprise!  And  you  too,  Mrs. 
Richards!  Can  I  believe  my  eyes?" 


338  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

"Yes,  Mr.  Bean,  you  can  believe  your  eyes,  but  I 
do  not  wonder  at  your  surprise.  The  fact  is,  we 
have  called  to  secure  your  assistance  in  a  very 
delicate  matter.  As  for  myself,  I  should  never 
have  come  after  saying-  what  I  did  to  you,  but 
Mildred  seemed  to  think  you  were  the  only  one 
who  could  help  us.  I  am  sorry  now  that  I  said 
what  I  did  when  you  called,  and  I  trust  you  will 
overlook  it  and  help  us  now  in  our  hour  of  trouble." 

"  I  certainly  lay  up  nothing  against  you  for  any 
thing  that  you  may  have  said,  Mrs.  Richards;  but 
pray  tell  me  how  I  can  be  of  assistance  to  you  now, 
for  you  as  yet  have  said  no  word  that  would  give 
me  an  inkling  of  your  trouble." 

"I  hardly  know  how  to  commence,  Mr.  Bean. 
You  know  that  for  years  my  daughter  has — well, 
you  know  Mr.  Vaughn  wanted  to  call  on  Mabel  and 
I  objected.  I  found  out  by  accident,  or  rather  I 
have  known  for  some  time,  that  she  still  cares  for 
him,  and  I  have  finally  concluded,  on  account  of  her 
health,  to  have  him — well,  to  withdraw  my  objec 
tions.  Of  course  I  don't  suppose  you  can  just 
understand  this,  as  you  do  not  know  what  it  means 
to  have  a  daughter  gradually  fading  away  before 
your  eyes." 

"That's  so,"  said  Harley,  "and  fading  as  slowly 
as  she  does,  too;  something  should  be  done  about  it 
at  once." 

Mrs.  Richards  did  not  hear  what  he  said,  but  Dot 
did,  and  it  was  only  with  an  effort  that  she  kept 
from  laughing. 

"What  did  you  say,  Mr.  Bean?"  asked  Mrs.  Rich 
ards. 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  330 

"I  said  that  something  should  be  done  at  once, 
but  I  am  worried  a  little.  The  fact  is,  Mr.  Vaughn 
is  a  very  busy  man  just  now.  You  will  no  doubt  be 
surprised  when  I  tell  you  that  Mr.  Vaughn  is 
spoken  of  as  our  next  mayor,  and  his  chances  are 
excellent." 

Mrs.  Richards  looked  confused,  but  Dot  came  to 
her  mother's  rescue  by  saying:  "Is  it  possible,  Mr. 
Bean?"  And  Mrs.  Richards  drew  a  long  breath. 

"Tell  us,  Mr.  Bean,  what  do  you  think  can  be 
done?"  said  Mrs.  Richards,  anxiously.  "And  are 
you  as  willing  as  Mildred  said  you  would  be  to  help 
us?" 

"Mrs.  Richards,  I  would  do  anything  in  the  world 
for  Dick  Vaughn,  and  I  will  do  whatever  Miss  Dot 
has  told  you  I  would.  I  will  do  it  if  for  no  other 
reason  than  to  make  her  word  good." 

"That  was  splendidly  said,  Mr.  Bean,  and  I  know 
you  mean  it,  but  I  wish  I  had  not  heard  such  awful 
stories  about  you. ' ' 

"What  have  you  heard,  Mrs.  Richards?  Perhaps 
I  can  refute  them." 

"I  have  heard  that  you  drink  horribly." 

"That  is  a  falsehood,  Mrs.  Richards.  I  have  it 
from  the  best  of  authority  and  can  prove  it  by  hun 
dreds  of  Bostonians,  that  I  drink  with  the  greatest 
of  ease,  in  fact  do  the  thing  most  gracefully." 

Mrs.  Richards  would  have  been  shocked  at  any 
other  time,  but  with  Harley  looking  at  her  so 
comically  and  Dot  laughing,  she  could  only  say: 
"Don't  let  us  stray  from  the  subject,"  forgetting 
that  she  was  the  cause  of  the  straying.  "Now,  Mr. 
Bean,  what  do  you  advise?" 


340  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

"Let  me  think  a  moment.  This  thing  has  come 
upon  me  so  suddenly  that  I  hardly  know  how  to  go 
to  work. ' ' 

Harley  took  out  his  watch  and  looking  at  it  said, 
as  though  he  had  looked  at  it  for  inspiration:  "Yes, 
that  is  the  thing  to  do.  You  go  home  and  I  will  go 
and  see  Dick  and  see  how  he  feels  about  the  matter. 
I  realize  that  this  is  a  delicate  subject,  and  I  shall 
tell  him  how  surprised  you  were  when  you  heard 
that  he  was  to  be  the  next  mayor." 

Mrs.  Richards  winced  and  Dot  with  an  effort  kept 
a  straight  face. 

"As  soon  as  I  find  out  anything,"  continued  Har 
ley,  "I  will  come  to  your  home  at  once  and  let  you 
know.  Let  me  see,  I  guess  you  had  better  walk 
down  past  Dick's  store  now,  and  I  will  slip  in  and 
see  when  I  can  have  a  talk  with  him.  I  will  tell 
him  it  is  important  business.  He  is  almost  always 
ready  to  talk  business." 

The  three  went  out  together  and  walked  to 
Washington  street.  In  front  of  Dick's  store  was  a 
crowd  of  men,  and  inside  could  be  seen  quite  a 
number  more.  Harley  chuckled  to  himself  as  he 
left  the  ladies  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street  and 
hurried  into  the  store.  The  men  in  question  were  a 
delegation  from  the  cabinet-makers'  union,  who  had 
been  sent  to  state  a  fancied  grievance  to  Dick. 
Harley  hurried  out,  and,  joining  the  ladies  again, 
told  Mrs.  Richards  that  it  was  a  delegation  of 
s,,uth-end  manufacturers  urging  Dick  to  accept  the 
nomination. 

"They  will  be  gone  in  a  short  time,  and  I  will  be 
here  and  catch  him  before  another  crowd  arrives." 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  341 

He  escorted  the  ladies  to  a  car  and  saw  them  on 
their  way  home.  Fifteen  minutes  after  he  had  left 
the  ladies  Harley  was  again  in  Dick's  store.  The 
men  had  gone. 

"What  was  the  matter  with  the  men,  Dick?»" 
"Oh,  nothing  in  particular.     They  went  up  to  see 
Jim  and  he  cursed  them ;  then  they  came  to  me  and 
I  sent  them  away  happy." 

"And  I  suppose  you  are  happy  yourself?" 
"I  guess  so;  as  happy  as  I  ever  shall  be." 
"Dick,  what  you  ought  to  do  is  to  get  married. 
Why  don't  you  hunt  up  some  nice  girl  and  marry 
her?    It  would  be  the  making  of  you.    You  stick  your 
nose  into  business  ten  hours  a  day;  you  have  made  a 
success  of  the  business,  but  after  a  while  you  will 
break  your  health  and  be  a  prematurely  old  man." 
"For  goodness'  sake,  Harley,  what  has  come  over 
you?      You   never   talked  like   that   before.       You 
must  be  in  love  yourself." 

"If  I  were  I  wouldn't  allow  the  girl's  mother  to 
stand  in  the  way  of  my  getting  the  girl." 

"Harley,  you  have  been  the  best  friend  I  ever 
had,  and  the  proof  that  I  think  so  is  that  I  allow 
you  to  talk  to  me  in  this  way.  You  know  that  I 
love  Mabel  Richards  and  that  I  would  marry  no 
other  woman.  I  have  always  hoped  that  the  time 
would  come  when  I  could  marry  her,  but  I  do  not 
allow  myself  to  think  of  it  any  more  than  I  can 
help,  for  when  I  do,  I  get  despondent.  I  know 
that  you  are  a  true  friend,  Harley,  although  I  know 
you  don't  believe  in  friends,  or  at  least  you  say  you 
don't,  but  I  don't  want  you  to  ever  mention  this 
subject  again." 


342  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

"Dick,  I  feel  like  talking  to-day  and  I  want  to 
talk,  but  I  will  promise  you  that  if  you  will  allow 
me  this  one  day  to  talk  as  I  please  and  about  what 
I  please,  I  will  never  mention  it  again  unless  you 
start  the  conversation  that  way.  Will  you  agree  to 
that?" 

Dick  thought  for  a  while  and  then  said:  "Yes, 
Harley,  just  for  this  once,  but  never  again,  and  I 
only  say  this  because  I  know  you  would  only  do  or 
say  what  you  thought  was  for  the  best." 

"Dick,  what  would  you  give  if  the  coast  were 
clear  and  you  could  marry  Mabel  to-day?" 

"Harley,  for  God's  sake,  what  are  you  driving 
at?  You  know  I  would  give  every  dollar  I  am 
worth  and  run  in  debt  besides.  But  why  do  you  tor 
ture  me  so?  I  wish  I  had  not  allowed  you  one  day." 

"Calm  yourself,  Dick,  calm  yourself;  you  will 
unfit  yourself  for  business,  and  it  would  be  sad  if 
you  should  lose  the  chance  of  making  another  dol 
lar.  I  am  going  to  ask  you  to  do  something  for  me 
to-day,  Dick,  that  will  test  your  friendship,  as  long 
as  you  say  there  is  friendship  between  us.  Will 
you  promise  to  do  whatever  I  ask?  I  want  you  to 
trust  me  implicitly  and  ask  no  questions.  Are  you 
equal  to  it?" 

"Yes,  Harley;  we  have  stood  by  each  other  for 
years  without  a  fluke,  and  I  will  not  be  the  one  to 
go  back  on  a  friend  when  I  can  be  of  assistance  to 
him. ' '  And  the  two  men  clasped  hands  to  seal  the 
bargain. 

A  gentleman  came  in  to  see  Dick  on  business,  and 
Harley  left,  after  telling  Dick  not  to  leave  the  office 
under  any  consideration  until  he  saw  him  again. 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  343 

Harley  was  happy.  He  was  always  happy  when 
he  had  a  difficult  piece  of  work  on  hand.  He  went 
to  a  newspaper  office  and  got  a  man  to  do  his  work, 
and  from  there  he  went  to  the  Parker  House  and 
had  a  ten  minutes'  conversation  with  the  clerk  in 
charge.  Leaving  there  he  boarded  a  car  for  Cam 
bridge  and  presented  himself  at  the  door  of  the 
Richards'  residence,  with  as  much  assurance  as 
though  he  owned  the  place. 

He  had  been  anxiously  expected  by  both  Dot  and 
her  mother,  and  they  were  both  in  the  parlor  to 
meet  him.  Mrs.  Richards  began  the  conversation 
before  Harley  could  possibly  get  himself  into  a 
chair. 

"Mr.  Bean,  I  am  dying  to  know  what  you  found 
out." 

"Calm  yourself,  Mrs.  Richards;  there  was  more 
to  this  than  I  expected.  Mr.  Vaughn — you  notice 
that  I  no  longer  call  him  Dick,  on  account  of  the 
position  he  holds  in  the  eyes  of  the  people — Mr. 
Vaughn  is  a  very  busy  man  just  at  the  present 
time,  as  you  no  doubt  realize,  and  he  is  particularly 
busy  to-day,  for  he  is  going  to  Washington  to-night 
to  consult  with  the  President  on  some  political 
question  that  has  lately  come  up." 

"Do  you  hear  that,  Mildred?"  said  Mrs.  Rich 
ards.  "Just  think  of  it!  Going  to  Washington  to 
actually  talk  with  the  President!  Just  think!" 
And  Mrs.  Richards  gasped  for  breath,  as  though 
this  was  almost  too  much  to  comprehend. 

"Yes,"  said  Harley,  "he  goes  to-night  at  six 
o'clock  and  may  stay  for  some  time.  Now  possibly 
you  don't  know  what  this  means  or  what  it  might 


344  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

lead  to.  Mr.  Vaughn  is  a  very  handsome  man,  and 
although  I  don't  mean  that  his  head  could  be  easily 
turned,  any  man  is  susceptible  to  the  influences  of  the 
ladies  of  prominence  in  Washington  society,  who  are 
known  to  be  the  most  brilliant  women  of  the  land." 

"I  understand  what  you  mean,  Mr.  Bean,  and  I 
am  so  thankful  that  we  have  enlisted  you  in  our 
cause — you  see  these  things  so  clearly  and  think 
of  everything.  But  pray  tell  us  what  we  shall  do?" 

Harley  sat  back  in  his  chair,  and,  putting  on  a 
puzzled  air,  seemed  to  be  trying  to  think  out  the 
complicated  question. 

"It  occurs  to  me,"  he  said,  "that  I  am  placed  in  a 
very  peculiar  position  in  this  matter;  in  fact  rather 
a  delicate  position.  I  hardly  know  whether  I  am 
justified  in  speaking  to  you  as  I  would  like  to." 

"You  can  say  what  you  like,  Mr.  Bean.  I  have 
only  my  daughter's  happiness  at  heart,  and  I  wish 
you  to  be  very  frank,  for  I  realize  that  you  are  the 
best  friend  we  could  have  at  this  time." 

"Then  perhaps  you  realize  that  you  are  the  one 
who  has  kept  Mr.  Vaughn  and  Miss  Mabel  apart, 
and  that  it  would  be  possible,  for  a  time  at  least, 
that  Mr.  Vaughn  would  not  feel  as  kindly  toward 
you  as  he  might?  Now,  remember,  I  do  not  say 
this  advisedly ;  I  only  say  that  this  might  be  the 
case,  and  if  it  should  be  so,  we  would  need  to  work 
with  caution.  Of  course  I  know  and  Miss  Mildred 
knows  that  your  heart  has  been  changing  to  war  Is 
him  for  months,  but  suppose  the  Honorable  Mr. 
Vaughn — I  said  that  because  I  heard  him  called  that 
this  morning — I  say,  suppose  the  Honorable  Mr. 
Vaughn  should  think  for  a  moment  that  your  change 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  345 

had  only  been  recent  and  that  it  was  on  account  of 
his  business  success  or  this  political  preferment; 
would  it  not  complicate  matters  some?" 

"Oh,  Mr.  Bean,  you  frighten  me  so!  I  am  will 
ing  to  do  whatver  you  say." 

"Very  well;  we  can  most  likely  manage  it,  but 
there  are  two  things  to  find  out:  we  must  find  out 
how  Mr.  Vaughn  feels  towards  your  daughter  and 
also  how  he  feels  towards  you,  and  then  we  must 
find  out  if  this  Washington  trip  cannot  be  put  off 
for  a  few  days  to  give  us  a  little  chance.  Miss  Mil 
dred  called  on  Mr.  Vaughn  a  few  days  ago,  and 
from  something  he  said  to  me  after  her  visit  I  am 
inclined  to  think  that  Miss  Mildred  and  I  ought  to 
go  together  and  see  him.  The  sight  of  her  will 
bring  back  memories  of  Miss  Mabel,  and  I  can  draw 
him  out;  he  has  promised  to  give  me  another  inter 
view  about  this  time." 

"Go  at  once,  Mr.  Bean,  and  take  Mildred  with 
you.  I  know  you  will  do  whatever  is  for  the  best. 
Do  go  at  once." 

"Where  is  Miss  Mabel?"  said  Harley. 

"She  is  out  making  some  calls,  but  will  return 
shortly." 

"Be  sure  and  do  not  let  her  go  out  again,  Mrs. 
Richards.  I  feel  sure  that  we  shall  need  her  this 
afternoon." 

Harley  and  Dot  left  the  house  together  and 
boarded  the  first  car  for  Boston.  The  car  had  b'.it 
few  passengers,  and  as  these  two  took  seats  by 
themselves  at  one  end  of  the  car,  Dut  said: 

"Mr  Bean,  you  are  the  most  artistic  stury-teller 
I  ever  met." 


346  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

"Thank  you,  Dot,  I  appreciate  the  compliment, 
especially  as  it  comes  from  one  whose  good  opinion 
I  desire  to  have.  But  say,  Dot,  will  you  please  call 
me  Harley?  Calling  me  'Mister'  and  'a  story-teller' 
in  the  same  breath  doesn't  sound  well.  The  fact  is, 
you  got  me  into  this,  and  if  I  have  seen  fit  to  do  a 
little  equivocating  while  working  in  your  interest, 
you  will  find  that  the  recording  angel  has  it  all 
down  on  your  page.  After  all,  I  would  do  almost 
anything  for  you,  Dot,  even  if  I  had  to  stand  the 
lying  myself.  What  do  I  get  for  this  if  I  bring  it 
to  a  successful  conclusion?" 

"What  do  you  want?" 

"Just  you,  that's  all." 

"You  don't  want  much,  do  you?" 

"Not  much;  just  the  smallest  Richards  in  the 
bunch. ' ' 

"Suppose  I  say  no?" 

"Then  I  might  throw  up  the  job." 

"Harley,  if  I  promise  to  marry  you,  will  you 
promise  me  that  you  will  give  up  drinking?" 

"No." 

"Good;  I  was  afraid  you  would  say  yes,  and  a 
man  who  promises  to  give  up  drinking  for  the  sake 
of  getting  a  girl  to  marry  him  usually  turns  out  to 
be  a  brute.  You  have  raised  yourself  in  my  esti 
mation.  ' ' 

"Thanks;  but  you  did  not  tell  me  whether  I 
would  get  my  pay  or  not. ' ' 

"Yes,  you  shall  have  your  pay,  and  if  I  decide  I 
don't  want  to  marry  you  myself,  I  will  get  Miss 
Hartley  to  take  my  place.  Stop  the  car,  Harley;  we 
must  get  off  here  if  we  are  going  to  Dick's  store." 


CHAPTER    XXX 

"We  will  get  off  here,"  said  Harley,  as  he  sig 
naled  for  the  car  to  stop,  "but  we  are  not  going  to 
Dick's  store." 

"What!  another  fib?" 

Harley  said  nothing,  but  led  the  way  to  Cope 
land's,  on  Tremont  street.  There  were  but  few  in 
the  store  at  this  time,  and  Harley  found  a  table 
where  they  could  talk  without  being  overheard,  and 
ordered  some  chocolate  and  cakes — not  that  they 
needed  refreshment,  but  as  an  excuse  for  sitting 
down. 

"Now,  Harley,  I  am  dying  to  know  one  thing. 
How  did  you  manage  to  get  the  editor  to  print  that 
article  that  we  read  this  morning?" 

"You  poor  innocent  girl,  the  editor  did  not  know 
a  hanged  thing  about  it,  but  the  pressman  did. 
There  were  only  six  papers  printed  with  that  article 
in.  Five  of  them  are  in  my  room  and  the  other 
one — the  one  you  saw  this  morning — is  in  my 
pocket.  I  picked  it  up  at  the  house  when  I  first 
went  in.  But  now  to  business.  I  have  a  plan  and 
I  want  to  know  if  you  can  carry  out  your  part  of 
it."  And  Harley  unfolded  his  plan  to  Dot,  who  sat 
with  her  eyes  sticking  out  in  wonderment. 

"Harley  Bean!     And  do  you  really  mean  that?" 

"I  certainly  do.  Whatever  we  do  must  be  done 
before  the  evening  papers  come  out." 

"But  suppose  we  fail,  and  mother  should  find  out 

347 


348  RICHARD  VAUGHN 

that  I  knew  that  this  whole  political  business  was  a. 
lie;  what  could  I  do?" 

"You  could  come  to  me  and  we  would  be  married 
at  once,  and  if  you  have  any  doubts  about  it,  we 
will  be  married  now,  if  you  say  so." 

"No,  sir;  when  I  get  married  I  want  a  church 
wedding,  and  let  me  tell  you  one  thing,  Harley 
Bean,  if  this  affair  does  not  go  through  all  right, 
you  need  never  speak  to  me  again,  and  I  don't 
think  you  would  get  a  chance  to,  for  I  would  run 
away." 

"Don't  say  anything  rash,  Dot.  It  will  go  all 
right  if  you  do  your  part,  and  I  am  banking  on  you 
for  a  good  deal." 

"Don't  you  think  I  ought  to  see  Dick  before  I  go 
home,  so  that  I  will  not  have  to  make  this  stcry  up 
out  of  whole  cloth?" 

Harley  thought  a  moment,  and  then  said: 

"Perhaps  I  had  better  go  back  with  you.  I  don't 
want  you  to  see  Dick,  and  I  might  be  able  to  help 
you  in  some  of  the  weak  places.  You  stay  here  a 
few  moments  while  I  run  down  and  see  Dick." 

A  few  moments  later  Harley  walked  into  Dick's 
office,  and  was  accosted  with: 

"Well,  old  man,  are  you  going  to  keep  me  a 
prisoner  in  my  own  office  all  day?  Jim  sent  for 
me  to  come  out  to  the  factory,  but  I  did  not  dare 
go  after  the  promise  I  made  you." 

"You  can  go  where  you  like  if  you  will  be  here 
promptly  at  one  o'clock,  but  you  must  not  fail  me 
in  this  for  all  the  furniture  factories  on  earth.  Do 
you  undeistand?" 

"I  don't  know  what  you  are  driving  at,  Harley, 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  349 

but  I  do  realize  that  you  are  in  dead  earnest,  and  I 
assure  you  that  I  will  not  fail  you." 

"All  right,  then;  until  one  o'clock,  good-bye." 
And  Harley  was  gone. 

A  few  minutes  after  Harley's  departure  Dick  had 
another  caller  in  the  person  of  Miss  Julia  Hartley. 

"Good  morning,  Mr.  Vaughn;  I  am  glad  to  find 
you  alone.  I  want  a  few  moments  of  your  time,  if 
you  can  spare  it,  and  I  want  your  advice." 

"You  certainly  can  have  a  few  moments  of  my 
time,  if  you  don't  take  too  much  of  it,  for  I  am 
getting  ready  to  go  away  and  have  been  delayed 
some  now." 

"Some  other  time  then,  if  you  would  prefer  it." 

"No,  perhaps  you  would  not  find  me  again  very 
soon ;  so  if  it  will  not  take  long  I  will  listen  to  you 
now." 

Miss  Hartley  sat  down  and  seemed  ill  at  ease. 

"I  came  to  see  you  on  a  very  delicate  question, 
Mr.  Vaughn.  You  are  quite  intimate  with  Mr. 
Bean;  did  you  ever  hear  him  say  anything  about 
me?" 

Dick  at  once  connected  Harley's  mysterious 
actions  of  the  day  with  this  visit,  and  for  a  moment 
was  at  a  loss  to  know  what  to  say. 

"Let  me  see,"  he  said.  "I  do  seem  to  remember 
his  saying  something  about  you  lately.  If  I  remem 
ber  rightly,  he  said  he  thought  you  were  very  nice 
looking  and — well,  perhaps  I  had  better  not  say  what 
else  he  said,  as  it  would  not  be  fair  to  betray  a 
friend,  especially  as  I  do  not  know  what  particular 
interest  you  have  in  knowing." 

"If  he  said  that,   he  must  have  said  something 


3So  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

more,  and  I  don't  mind  telling  you  something,  for 
I  feel  that  you  will  treat  this  matter  confidentially." 

"Certainly  I  will,  Miss  Hartley,  if  you  care  to  tell 
me  anything. ' ' 

"Very  well,  then.  It  is  this:  I  have  met  Mr. 
Bean  several  times  lately  out  at  his  cousin's  and  at 
Mrs.  Bardwell's,  and  I  must  say  I  am  very  much 
interested  in  him.  I  feel  that  he  has  a  very  superior 
mind  and  I  do  love  to  hear  him  talk.  He  has  said 
some  things  to  me  that  make  me  feel  as  though 
he  is  seriously  inclined  towards  me,  and  there  are 
special  reasons  why  I  should  like  to  know  for  cer 
tain  as  soon  as  possible.  I  thought  possibly  you 
might  assist  me  by  giving  me  some  idea  on  how 
Mr.  Bean  felt  towards  me." 

"Really,  Miss  Hartley,  I  don't  see  what  I  can 
say.  While  it  is  true  that  I  have  known  Mr.  Bean 
for  several  years  and  while  it  is  also  true  that  for 
some  time  we  have  shared  bachelor  apartments,  he 
has  never  made  me  his  confidant  in  any  of  his 
affairs  of  the  heart,  and  if  he  should  say  anything  I 
would  not  know  whether  to  take  him  seriously  or 
not.  I  can  tell  you  this,  however — Harley  is  one 
who  will  take  his  own  time  in  matters  of  this  or  any 
other  kind,  and  I  would  advise  you  to  let  matters 
take  their  own  course.  Harley  Bean  is  a  man  well 
worth  waiting  for." 

"I  agree  with  you  there  perfectly,  Mr.  Vaughn, 
but  you  see — Well,  1  guess  I  will  be  obliged  to  tell 
you  of  a  little  talk  that  I  had  with  Mr.  Lemon 
yesterday.  You  know  Mr.  Lemon  lias  always  taken 
a  very  deep  interest  in  me,  and  yesterday,  or  last 
evening,  when  I  was  calling  at  his  house,  he  said  he 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  351 

thought  I  was  particularly  fitted  for  a  minister's 
wife,  and  asked  me  if  I  did  not  think  so.  I  asked 
him  what  made  him  think  of  me  in  that  light,  and 
he  said  that  he  had  been  talking  with  his  wife  about 
me,  and  they  had  decided  they  would  like  me  for  a 
daughter-in-law.  Of  course,  you  know  that  would 
mean  my  marrying  John  Lemon." 

"Why  are  they  in  such  a  hurry  to  get  John  mar 
ried  off?" 

"Well,  you  see  John  is  young  and  has  never  had 
any  experience  in  affairs  of  the  kind,  and  his  par 
ents  say  that  he  has  gotten  it  into  his  head  that  he 
is  in  love  with  Dot  Richards,  and  when  they  think 
of  Dot  as  a  minister's  wife,  it  fairly  makes  them 
turn  pale  for  shame." 

"I  don't  think  they  need  worry  about  Dot,  and  as 
I  understand  your  position,  you  would  prefer  Har- 
ley  if  you  thought  he  was  in  earnest?" 

"Do  you  blame  me?" 

"Not  in  the  least,  but  how  do  they  propose  to 
marry  John  to  you  if  he  is  in  love  with  Dot?" 

"You  see  John  has  only  a  minor  charge  at  a  mis 
sion  and  could  hardly  marry  without  his  parents' 
consent." 

"Oh,  I  see,  but  I  don't  see  how  I  can  help 
you. ' ' 

"Perhaps  at  some  other  time,  before  long,  you 
might  be  able  to  tell  me  something." 

"That  is  to  say,  you  think  I  might  be  able  to 
find  out  for  you  what  your  chances  are  with  Har- 
ley?" 

"Perhaps,  if  you  care  to  put  it  that  way." 

"This  is  all  new  to  me  and  I  must  think  it  over." 


352  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

"Thank  you  very  much,  Mr.  Vaughn.  I  will  see 
you  again  soon." 

When  Harley  left  Dick's  store  he  called  at  the 
city  hall,  and  then  made  another  call  at  a  photog 
rapher's  before  going  back  to  see  Dot.  That 
young  lady  had  grown  somewhat  impatient,  and 
when  Harley  arrived,  she  greeted  him  with: 

"By  what  rule  do  you  measure  your  minutes?" 

"Now,  don't  get  excited,  Dot;  you  will  need  all 
of  your  nerve  to  carry  out  your  part  of  the  program. 
I  thought  I  would  make  my  arrangements  complete 
while  here  as  long  as  I  had  concluded  to  go  back 
with  you.  We  will  go  now." 

In  another  half  hour  they  were  in  Cambridge. 
Mrs  Richards  was  anxiously  awaiting  them. 

"You  have  come  at  last.  I  do  hope  you  have 
brought  good  news." 

"We  have  brought  news,"  said  Harley,  "but  per 
haps  you  will  not  think  it  good.  We  have  had  a 
talk  with  Mr.  Vaughn  and  find  that  he  is  to  leave 
for  Washington  earlier  than  I  expected;  he  leaves 
at  three-thirty.  Under  the  circumstances  I  took 
the  liberty  of  shaping  this  plan:  we  told  him  that 
Mabel  would  never  be  herself  again  unless  she  mar 
ried  the  man  of  her  choice  and  that  she  had  decided 
to  marry  him  in  spite  of  your  objections,  believing 
that  you  would  think  differently  after  they  were 
married.  We  also  told  him  that  it  took  a  good  deal 
of  persuasion  on  our  part  to  get  her  to  do  this,  on 
account  of  his  wealth  and  prominence.  Now  our 
plan  is  for  them  to  be  married  at  once  and  have 
them  go  together  to  Washington.  Here  is  his  pic 
ture  just  as  he  looks  to-day.  Hasn't  he  a  states- 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  353 

man's  figure?"  And  Harley  produced  the  photo 
graph  of  Dick  that  he  had  just  secured, 

"Splendid!     Splendid!"  said  Mrs.  Richards. 

"All  that  remains  for  you  to  do,  Mrs.  Richards, 
is  to  keep  cool,  and  Dot  and  I  will  do  the  rest.  You 
need  not  even  speak  to  Miss  Mabel;  in  fact  I  would 
rather  you  would  not,  unless  it  is  to  tell  her  that 
you  have  withdrawn  all  objections,  but  that  for 
reasons  best  known  to  yourself  you  do  not  propose 
to  be  in  the  room  when  she  is  married,  Now  Dot 
knows  exactly  what  to  do,  and  I  want  you  to  be 
governed  altogether  by  her.  If  you  will  do  this, 
we  will  pull  this  thing  through  all  right.  Where  is 
Miss  Mabel  now?" 

"She  is  in  her  room  at  work  on  a  painting  that  I 
have  requested  her  to  finish.  It  was  the  only  way 
I  could  keep  her  in." 

" Good ! "  said  Harley,  and  then  to  himself  he  said : 
"The  old  lady  is  a  bit  of  a  schemer  herself." 

It  was  nearly  twelve  o'clock,  and  Harley  got  up 
to  go.  An  exclamation  from  Dot  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  other  two. 

"Oh  dear,  here  is  Miss  Julia  Hartley  and  she  saw 
me.  What  shall  I  do?  She  will  stay  for  hours." 

"Let  her  in,"  said  Harley,  "and  let  me  out  the 
back  way.  I  will  see  that  she  doesn't  stay  ten 
minutes." 

As  Miss  Hartley  was  ushered  in  at  the  front  door, 
Harley  Bean  was  let  out  the  back  way,  and  in  two 
minutes  he  rang  the  bell  at  the  front  of  the  house. 
Dot  answered  the  bell. 

"Excuse  me,"  said  Harley,  "but  didn't  I  see  Miss 
Julia  Hartley  come  in  here  a  moment  ago?" 


354  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

"You  certainly  did.  Did  you  wish  to  come  in 
and  see  her?" 

"If  you  please." 

Harley  stepped  in  and  effusively  greeted  Miss 
Hartley. 

"What  luck!"  he  said.  "I  was  thinking  of  you. 
There  is  a  great  treat  in  store  for  you  at  the  studio, 
and  I  want  to  be  the  one  who  accompanies  you  to 
see  it.  I  saw  you  coming  in  here,  and  as  there  was 
no  way  of  stopping  you,  this  was  the  best  I  could 
do." 

"I  should  be  delighted  to  go  with  you,  Mr.  Bean, 
but  when  shall  we  go?" 

"Right  now,  Miss  Hartley.  I  have  a  little  time 
to  myself  now  and  if  agreeable  to  you,  we  will  take 
the  next  car  to  Boston,  get  our  lunch  and  spend  an 
hour  or  more  at  the  studio  looking  over  the  special 
exhibit  that  is  now  on." 

"Cannot  we  stay  a  while  and  talk  with  the  people 
here?  It  would  seem  rude  to  go  so  soon." 

"Not  at  all,  Miss  Hartley,"  said  Mrs.  Richards. 
"I  am  sure  it  is  not  often  that  Mr.  Bean  invites 
any  one,  and  you  should  feel  honored.  We  will 
excuse  you." 

"Am  I  invited,  too?"  asked  Dot,  pretending  to 
pout. 

"Not  this  time,  little  girl.  I  have  special  reasons 
for  wanting  to  go  alone  with  Miss  Hartley  this  after 
noon.  Perhaps  everyone  would  not  appreciate  this 
exhibit  as  Miss  Hartley  will." 

Harley  and  Miss  Hartley  lunched  together,  taking 
all  the  time  necessary,  and  at  one  o'clock  they  were 
in  the  studio  building  looking  at  the  exhibit.  Miss 


RICHARD  VAUGHN  355 

Hartley  had  seldom  been  quite  as  happy  as  she 
appeared  to  be  at  this  time. 

All  at  once  Harley  seemed  to  think  of  something. 
He  looked  at  his  watch  and  turning  to  Miss  Hart 
ley,  said: 

"•I  am  very  sorry,  but  I  am  just  reminded  that  I 
have  neglected  a  duty  and  that  is  something  I  can 
not  afford  to  do,  so  if  you  will  excuse  me  for  a  short 
time,  I  will  return  to  this  room  as  soon  as  I 
can." 

"I  am  so  sorry  to  have  you  go,  but  if  it  is  a  duty 
I  will  not  ask  you  to  stay,  but  will  amuse  myself  as 
best  I  can  until  you  return." 

"Thanks,"  said  Harley,  as  he  hastened  away. 

In  ten  minutes  more  he  was  at  Dick's  store 

"Drop  everything,  Dick,  and  come  with  me. 
Now,  remember,  you  are  to  do  as  I  tell  you  and 
ask  no  questions." 

Harley  led  the  way  to  their  rooms  and  told  Dick 
to  follow  his  example  and  dress  with  all  possible 
care  and  speed.  At  fifteen  minutes  of  two  the  two 
young  men,  on  coming  out  of  the  door  of  Mrs. 
Sargent's  boarding-house,  found  a  hack  waiting  for 
them.  At  a  little  after  two  o'clock  they  were  at  the 
door  of  Mr.  Richards'  residence. 

"What  does  this  mean,  Harley?" 

"It  means  that  you  will  be  a  married  man  in  ten 
minutes  if  you  don't  ask  too  many  questions." 

"Have  you  used  any  unfair  means  to  influence 
Mabel  against  her  mother?  Harley,  tell  me  the 
truth!" 

"Not  a  bit  of  it,  Dick,  and  if  this  thing  should  not 
go  through  now,  it  would  kill  her." 


356  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

"Are  you  my  friend,  Harley?" 

"Yes,  I  am  anything.  Don't  hesitate  here. 
Can't  you  trust  me?" 

"Yes,  Harley;  lead  on." 

The  door  was  opened  by  invisible  hands,  and  the 
two  men  walked  into  the  parlor.  A  gentleman 
stepped  forward,  and,  taking  Dick  by  the  arm,  led 
him  to  a  table,  where  he  was  asked  to  look  over  some 
papers  and  sign  one.  This  he  did  in  a  dazed  sort 
of  a  way.  He  saw  Mabel  go  through  the  same 
operation,  and  he  thought  her  face  was  sad.  Har 
ley  took  him  by  the  arm.  A  few  words  were 
spoken.  He  made  his  replies  at  the  proper  time, 
and  then  he  heard  the  minister  pronounce  them 
man  and  wife.  He  leaned  over  and  kissed  his  wife, 
and  then  they  were  hurried  out  of  the  house  and 
into  a  hack. 

Hardly  a  word  was  spoken  until  the  hack  stopped 
in  front  of  the  Parker  House.  Harley  was  there  to 
meet  them,  and  they  soon  found  themselves  in  a 
very  pretty  suite  of  rooms. 

"What  makes  you  so  sad,  Mabel?" 

"I  cannot  help  but  feel  sad  when  I  think  that  you 
have  lost  everything  and  have  to  begin  again  at  the 
bottom  of  the  business  ladder  and  work  up.  If  I 
could  only  help  you  I  would  not  feel  so  bad,  but  I 
can  only  love  you,  and  that  is  not  much  of  a  capital 
to  start  with." 

Dick  tried  to  break  in  when  she  began  to  talk, 
but  as  she  continued  he  began  to  catch  on  to  the 
situation. 

"Poverty  had  to  come,  Mabel,  in  order  to  let  you 
in,  for  you  objected  to  me  when  I  was  rich." 


RICHARD   VAUGHN  357 

"I  know  I  did,  Dick,  but  you  could  not  blame  me; 
I  refused  to  marry  you  when  you  were  poor. 
Please  don't  let  us  stay  here  long,  Dick,  for  Dot 
told  me  that  Mr.  Bean  paid  for  these  rooms,  so  that 
we  might  have  some  place  to  go." 

This  was  too  much  for  Dick,  and  he  broke  out 
into  a  long  loud  laugh,  much  to  the  astonishment  of 
Mabel. 

Some  one  rapped  on  the  door,  and  in  answer  to 
Dick's  "Come  in,"  a  boy  entered,  bringing  a  note. 
Dick  opened  it  and  read: 

"Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richard  Vaughn:  We  did  what 
we  thought  was  for  the  best,  and  we  wish  you  all 
the  happiness  you  deserve.  There  may  be  some 
explanations  to  make,  but  we  will  make  them  when 
the  time  comes,  and  we  shoulder  all  the  blame. 
We  can  afford  to  do  this  much,  for  we  have  had  a 
whole  lot  of  fun.  Harley  and  Dot." 

Dick  handed  the  note  to  Mabel,  who  read  it 
through. 

"What  does  it  all  mean,  Dick?" 

"I  am  sure  I  don't  know,  but  I  do  know  we  are 
married  and  that  I  have  not  lost  my  money,  and  I 
know  I  am  satisfied  as  it  is  and  am  willing  for  them 
to  make  the  explanations." 

"Is  it  true,  then,  that  you  are  still  rich?" 

"Quite  true,  my  dear.     Are  you  sorry?" 

"No,  not  now,  but  it  makes  me  feel  better  to  think 
that  I  thought  I  was  marrying  a  poor  man." 

Harley  returned  to  the  studio.  He  had  been  gone 
just  two  hours.  Miss  Hartley  was  still  waiting. 

"So  good  of  you  to  wait  for  me,"  said  Harley. 

"Don't  mention  it,  Mr.  Bean;  it  is  a  pleasure  to 


358  RICHARD   VAUGHN 

wait  for  you.  Did  you  finish  your  business  to  your 
satisfaction?" 

"Entirely,  Miss  Hartley.  The  most  successful 
little  job  I  ever  undertook!  Shall  we  go  now?" 

Dot  hunted  up  her  father  and  told  him  the  whole 
story.  The  only  comment  he  made  was  that  this 
seemed  to  be  a  day  of  matchmaking. 

"What  do  you  mean,  Pop?" 

"Nothing,  only  John  Lemon  was  here  to-day  and 
asked  for  your  hand  in  marriage." 

"What  did  you  tell  him?" 

"That  you  would  have  to  settle  that  for  yourself. 
What  shall  I  tell  him?" 

"Tell  him  that  I  would  not  know  what  to  do  with 
the  other  hand;  and,  as  I  know  of  someone  who 
wants  them  both,  he  need  not  waste  any  more  time 
on  me." 

The  next  morning  Harley  called  to  see  Mrs. 
Richards.  He  had  some  wonderful  news  to  tell 
her.  Dick  had  given  up  his  trip  to  Washington  and 
had  declined  the  nomination  of  mayor.  He  was  so 
delighted  with  his  wedding  that  he  had  decided  not 
to  enter  politics. 

"Too  bad!"  said  Mrs.  Richards.  She  went  to 
the  mantel  and  took  down  Dick's  picture. 

"Too  bad!  He  would  have  made  such  a  splendid 
looking  congressman ! ' ' 

THE  END. 


A     000  003  693     9 


